Lonely Life
by ShatteredHeart98
Summary: For most of her life, Lightening has lived with no one, but now that the government has turned against her she must learn what its like to care about someone, because this is one battle she can't survive on her own!
1. Unlikely Saviour

**Lonely Life**

**Chapter One: Unlikely Saviour**

Silence enveloped the area as the last soldier fell. There were no more ear-splitting gunshots, no more terrified screams, no more pounding footsteps… Just silence. As the man fell his head bounced twice on the road then stilled like the rest of his body. It was the sort of still that could not be faked, so the victor of the battle turned away, having no need to check for a pulse.

With her long light pink hair that hung over her shoulder, her fit body complemented by her military clothing, her sharp instincts and equally sharp tongue, she was someone to stare at in awe from afar… but also someone to fear.

Her piecing blue eyes scanned the area, searching for any other targets, but she finished them all. With a sigh she held her head up, glancing at the darkening sky. Her life was no longer simple, no longer safe. Things had become complicated after she had become some sort of suspect, and now her entire team had turned on her.

'Oh well, let them,' she thought to herself. 'It's not like I had any friends anyway.'

The calming moment was shattered by the sound of a desperate cry. Immediately the woman stared dead ahead, her hand gripping onto the hilt of her gun-blade so tightly her knuckle turned white.

In the distance she could see a small group of people running across the road that was now free of traffic once the alarms had been sounded. They looked panic stricken, desperate to escape, and the woman couldn't help but pity them, however, she made no move to go and help them. Instead she stood her ground and stared at the scene until all of the people disappeared behind a line of buildings.

A few seconds later a mechanical invention owned by the government's soldiers, the ones that hunted down the woman, appeared, gliding over the ground and perusing the people.

All of the woman's senses told her to turn and run before she was sighted, but one final glance turned her blood to ice.

She had made a mistake. Laying only a metre away from the machine was a young girl lying motionless on the ground.

"She's as good as dead," the woman muttered to herself. "Well, its not my problem." She turned on her heel and started to speed away, but something stopped her. A tugging at the back of her mind begged her to reconsider, begged her to rescue the girl.

'Why should I?' she debated in her head, turning to glare back as the mechanical monster froze at the girl's side, its giant guns on its arms beginning to pulsate with energy. Clearly the soldiers were taking no chances and taken the safety options out of their machines. Usually it would have turned away at the sight of a civilian, maybe even protected it, but this one was about to annihilate her.

Again the woman could not turn and run, yet she stood, frozen like a statue of ice. She knew that if she did not move now, it would be too late for the girl. She did not know what begged her to save her, for in her opinion her heart was no more than stone, but she had to act. She could not leave her there to die, knowing that she could have saved her life.

It was a sensation she had never felt before, and she acted on it. Before she could think on the consequences any further she was racing towards the girl.

It took only moments for the woman to reach the machine. It had raised its guns, ready to fire on the defenceless girl, but a sharp kick to the head left it sliding along the ground, sparks flying.

With a light thud, the woman landed on the ground, turning her head to see the girl completely motionless. She wasn't sure if she was breathing or not, but she had no time to check.

There was a loud 'clink' as a small grenade was deposited onto the ground before the woman and she had to throw herself to the side. The explosion blew her further than she wanted to and she had to roll forward to avoid a line of bullets that were fired. She could feel them streaking through the air inches above her, and as soon as they stopped, she lunged forward, gathered the girl up in her arms, and jumped over the edge of the road.

She fell for many feet, misjudging the distance of the ground. Above her she could hear the machine reach the edge of the road and then the gentle hum of its guns sent a wave of panic through her.

Growing desperate, she leaned herself forward until she was sailing towards the ground below like a bullet, still holding the young girl to herself. Heavy bullets flew past her, some scraping her in the arm or the sides.

'Ignore the pain,' she thought, clenching her teeth, but she was forced to cry out as one of the bullets shot into the back of her shoulder. She closed her eyes and felt her body tense up until she suddenly remembered that she was falling through the air and opened her eyes too see the next road flying up towards her in a blur.

Immediately she straightened herself up to slow down and landed cleanly on her feet. The girl slipped in her arms, but she held on tightly, digging her nails in until she was happy with her grip. Then she was running again, passing many shocked faces of the innocents that were yet to see the soldiers raiding the streets.

The woman knew it wouldn't be long until they located her in this area, so she didn't stop. She knew where to go, the safest place she could think of, so she headed there.

The building was dark and cluttered, but it was abandoned and well hidden amongst the cramped units that surrounded it. the woman was amazed she had managed to get there without being sighted. Even though she had headed through from the back, avoiding the patrolling soldiers, she was surprised at their lack of attention paid to that area.

As she thought about the possibilities to explain this, she found herself smiling. Perhaps they were giving up.

The girl in her arms still had not stirred, and despite her lack of care, she was beginning to worry. She had almost had her life taken to save this girl and she was not about to have her die on her.

Searching the room swiftly, the woman found a large brown sofa that had been torn apart. With a sigh at the lack of furniture to use, she stared gathering up the cushions and laid them in a line to create a makeshift bed. Gently she laid the girl down and kneeled beside her.

She placed two fingers to the girl's neck, tyring to find a pulse, and once she had located it, beating gently against her fingers, she let out a breath of relief.

"Now I can concentrate on my own wound," she said quietly, reaching back with her hand until she found the wound. Ignoring the pain, she explored it with her hand to see how big it was and determine how much damage it would have caused. Luckily, it was minimal, but to ease the pain she pulled out a small potion from one of her pockets and drank it down until the pain numbed and the bullet hole began to cover over.

"Now back to the patient," she muttered, raising to her feet to fetch a cloth and wet it with cold water. Once she returned to the unconscious victim, she laid the cloth over her forehead to cool her down.

She was quiet a pretty youth, with curly red hair hidden partly by a wide hood. She was pale, but her face held beauty, and she was thin, definitely fast in battle. As the woman flipped an eyelid open to check her pupils she was shocked at the gorgeous green eyes that stared back, and as she closed her eyes again they began to flutter back open.

As soon as she had control of her limbs, the girl tried to take the cloth from her head, but the woman grasped her by the wrist and lowered her arm back to the ground.

"Not yet, and don't even think about getting up."  
A small smile appeared across the girl's face as she stared up at her saviour, but confusion clouded it. "Who are you?"

It took a moment for the woman to reply, unsure if she could trust this girl, but she answered after a few moments, comforted by the thought that if she turn to be a traitor her life would be taken with ease.

"Lightening."

The girl tried to nod, but winced and stayed still instead. "Nice to meet you," she said weakly. "My name's Vanille." Once this was said, her eyes slowly closed as she fell back into unconsciousness, her body not having enough energy to keep her awake for any more time.

Lightening smiled down at the girl, somehow relieved that she was okay.

"Nice to meet you, Vanille."


	2. Explanations

**Chapter Two: Explanations**

It was a peaceful morning as the sun rose high into the sky, bringing light flooding into the city. Everything seemed calm, the previous bloodshed forgotten, but Lightening knew better.

Her knuckles were white as she gripped the hilt of her gun-blade, the weapon loaded with bullets and her muscles tenses and ready to lift the heavy weight. Her back was beginning to ache as she leaned against the door, waiting for any kind of noise. She expected to hear the door outside slam against the wall, thrown open by soldiers hunting her down, or perhaps if she tried hard enough she would be able to hear people screaming, the machines turning on them again.

Remembering the previous day's events, Lightning's piercing blue eyes flashed over to the still form of Vanille lying on the cushions that were her makeshift bed. The girl looked so harmless, and Lightening could tell by her calm breathing and motionless body that she was in a deep sleep. There was no way she was a threat… At least, not yet.

As the hours dragged by Lightening barely even blinked. Her body seemed frozen as she stared across the room, not seeing anything at all. She was concentrating too had on any sign of disturbance, and her old endurance training had managed to keep sleep at bay. Even as she sat after the entire night without slumber, she was not tired at all.

Finally, Vanille awoke.

At first, she twitched, a spasm passing through her fingers as the realisation of feeling returned to them, and beneath the lids Vanille's eyes begged to see the world again. Slowly, they fluttered open and she stared at the ceiling, unsure of anything for a few hazy moments.

Lightning's hand tightened further around her hilt, but she slowly rose herself to her feet, the weapon coming with her as though embedded in the flesh of her palm.

"About time you came to."

Vanille's head jerked to stare at Lightning. At first, she looked terrified, and shuffled away in her 'bed', but as she continued to sift through her thoughts, realisation flooded her and became clear on her face.

"Oh yeah," she said, smiling calmly and straightening herself up. "It was Lightning, right?"

"Yeah… And you're Vanille?"

"That's right!" Getting the youth's name right seemed to brighten her mood amazingly, for she jumped to her feet and bounced on her heels excitedly, her hands wrapping together and resting against her stomach as she grinned at the older woman. "You saved my life."

Lightning sighed and turned away. "Don't remind me."

This response seemed to hurt Vanille a little, for she turned away and fell silent, her hands fumbling together nervously.

It was an awkward situation, but Lightning was unsure of what to say. She never had been good at conversations, and besides, she had no idea why the girl was alive, standing before her. Why had she saved her? What was so special about her?

A yell from outside forced Lightning to the door again. She slammed her back against the wood, managing to make only a little sound but pain shot through her spine. She grimaced, hating herself for losing caution because of the girl.

"They're after you, aren't they," Vanille said, seeming completely calm about the situation. The soldiers were about to burst in at any minute, and she was standing there, the smile back on her face.

"Shut up and get down!" Lightning hissed, glaring back at the girl. "I don't know why I saved you, but I'm not about to die because your too stupid to realise when your about to die!"

"We won't die here," Vanille said confidently, but she lowered herself to the ground anyway, pressing herself to the floor beside the cushions.

Rolling her eyes, Lightning kept her gaze away from the girl as she spoke. "Oh, and how do you know that?"

For a moment, Vanille didn't answer, and as Lightning turned to make sure she had not passed out again, she was shocked to see a pained face. Tears had filled the girl's eyes and she was shaking on the spot.

"Because," she began in a weak voice. "I saw it in my dreams."

A second yell rose to the room the pair were in, but it was fainter than the first. Lightning calmed somewhat, but stared at Vanille in shock.

"I know it sounds crazy!" Vanille yelled back, beginning to lose her temper. "I see things in my dreams. Things that happen. We see many destinies, then one always comes along that chooses one of us to intervene and save the soul from dying! Lightning, I dreamed of you day and night! You were going to die here, but I saw myself running with you! Your destiny called for help, and I answered!" She was almost in tears, staring hard at the ground and clenching her hands into fists. "You don't even appreciate it! You don't even want my help!"

No words came to Lightning. All she could do was stare back and question the girl's sanity. Was it true? Unlikely. Was she insane from shock? Probable. "Would she have really died there?" Possible. Everyday she could be killed in these streets, but was it really fate that had brought this weak harmless girl to her rescue?

Instead of provoking her further, Lightning dug for more information. "You said 'we'. There are more of you? More 'dreamers'?"

A laugh caused Vanille's body to shudder, and she glanced up at Lightening with shining eyes. "Yeah, there are twelve of us including me, and we aren't called 'dreamers' either. Were called Aurthels, or 'those who dream of destinies.'"

'Great, I'm with a lunatic,' Lightning thought dismally, but she forced a small smile to keep the girl calm as she realised how pale she was. "Okay, say for a moment I believe you with this, which is a bit hard seeing as I have never heard of an Aurthel before. What exactly do you plan to do, and what is going to happen to me?"

The outside world seemed too had fallen silent, so the conversation was gladly continued by Vanille who seemed confident that her saviour was finally starting to appreciate her.

"Well, you wouldn't have heard of us because were not from in here, this walled town of Cocoon. Were from the outside, and that is exactly where you need to go. It is your destiny, and it must be fulfilled. All I have seen is us fleeing this city, but things can change. You would have died without me coming, that is definite, but we may still be stopped and killed before we can escape."

Lightning's pride suffered a blow. "You're sure I would have died?"

Vanille nodded grimly. "I saw it. Your destiny showed me why, otherwise I would not have had any point in finding you. It is sure there is a chance that I can save you, and a chance is all we can get at the moment."

There was silence as Lightning lifted her hand. "Okay, enough. I need time to think about this. I never expected something like this could-"

"Wait!" Vanille was on her feet, staring at the back wall behind her. She seemed completely frozen, but a moment passed and she turned back to Lightning with a fearful face. "We need to go now. We have been here too long."

With a fluent movement Lightning had her weapon sliding into the sheath at her side and was on her feet, striding towards the young girl. "The soldiers? They're coming for me, aren't they? They know I'm here…"

Vanille lowered her head and nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, I should have waited to tell you…"

"I wouldn't have trusted you to come with me then," lightening pointed out to reassure the girl as she headed towards the door in lengthy strides. "I'm still not sure if I believe you, but if my life depends on it, I suppose I should stick with you." She froze at the door and turned to Vanille, a small smile appearing on her face. "Besides, I didn't risk my ass to save you for nothing."


	3. Escape

**Chapter Three: Escape**

There had been no time to plan, no time to think, no time to prepare. Lightning and Vanille were forced to crawl across the small room, down the hall, and to the door to avoid any chance of being seen. Once this had been done successfully, Lightning used her stealthy skills to climb through the door without a single sound. Behind her Vanille watched carefully and peered over her shoulder to see if there were any enemies.

Three soldiers, each heavily armed with swords of steel and giant guns that slung across their backs in many sheaths, stood in three separate areas to patrol. None had seen their target slip through the door and approach the closest without a single disturbance.

Vanille let out a sharp gasp as Lightning rose behind the man clad in shining metal plates and wrap her arm around his neck. He struggled, instantly reaching for his weapons, but with her free hand, Lighting thrust her fingers into his spinal cord. The man froze, his face pale and his mouth gaping open, then he fell backwards into the cradle of his killer's arms.

With a smirk Lighting hauled his body to the floor, careful to keep it quiet but still heartlessly. She risked a small glance back at her young companion to make sure she had not fainted from seeing the attack, but there she was, standing in the doorway and staring with a pale face and shaking hands.

Lightning continued the job. She crept up behind the next soldier, a tall woman with an able body and tight leather clothes. She was gripping her gun tightly in her hand, her eyes stalking across the area like those of a predator's. They widened when Lightning struck her in the side of the neck, and then rolled into the back of her head as she fell backwards.

Again Lightning caught her victim, then laid her carefully on the ground knowing that the man only a few metres across from her was listening more intently to his surroundings. His muscles were tightened along his thick arms and his jaw was set. It seemed he had heard something, but was unsure of the direction.

'Damn,' Lightning thought as she pushed herself away from the fallen woman and took a few paces to the right until she was directly behind the last of her hunters in the area. Once she was sure that she was undetectable, she stepped forward. Her arms stretched out and her hands tingled with adrenaline, but she ignored the excitement, telling herself over and over again that she was doing a job.

Over her years under the government she had seen the dangers of losing oneself to the overwhelming feeling of killing, and it often cost a limb, or even a life, in the battle field.

Luckily the practice of remind herself of these plaguing thoughts paid off and she made a clean kill by clasping her hands around the man's neck, and twisting with as much strength as was required. The snap brought a grin to her face, and the man crumpled before her.

"Oh my god…" Vanille had come out of the doorway and stood beside Lightning, staring down at the third body. Her eyes were wide and she was trembling form head to toe. Even as she turned away from the sight she began to sway backwards and forwards.

"Hey," Lightning said calmly, reaching out and grasping the girl's shoulder tightly to steady her. "You alright? The last thing I need is for you to pass out on me. Then I have to drag you, and I really can't be bothered."

It was not intended to be a joke, but Vanille laughed anyway. At first it was a little giggle, and then it turned into outright laughter. She was in hysterics, but it was maddened laughter, and she was unable to stop. Shock had turned her temporarily insane, then before Lightning could say something or slap her back to her normal self, she fell backwards in a dead faint. Before her head could collide with the ground, Lighting wrapped an arm lazily around her back and lowered her gently.

"Shit, now I really do have to drag you," she muttered, but instead she lifted her up, slung her over her left shoulder, and continued on her way, saying to herself quietly, "Now I guess I'm in this on my own."

It was fortunate for Lightning that she knew the town well, and she did not need assistance in the kills she committed. She simply left the unconscious Vanille in dark alleyways, deciding that if she was found she would be mistaken for a dead body, then she used her knowledge of sneaking to take out the soldiers blocking her way.

The first complication arrived when she found herself spotted killing another of the sly men searching for her relentlessly.

Immediately five soldiers came running, but Lightning was quick. Before they even came close to her she whipped out her gun blade and lowered herself low to the ground to avoid receiving a gunshot through the head. Instead the bullet sailed pats her and killed the woman approaching form behind.

"My turn," Lighting snickered as she rose and fired at the first shooter. Her bullets hit him expertly in the heart, head, and throat, a clear overkill. Blood spurted out, spraying across the ground as his body was thrown backwards.

"Your mine now, bit-"

Before the next participant could even finish his insulting title for Lightning she sliced her blade across his chest, then sidestepped to avoid his bleeding body from falling onto her. He hit the ground with a dull thud, and Lightning simply shot at the fourth male without even turning to make sure the other man was dead. She was confident her judgement of the attack was correct.

This particular soldier was faster then his comrades and blocked her shot with a quick slash of his sword. All he needed to do was lazily flick his wrist to the side and sparks flew as bullet hit steel, then he was upon her, slamming his sword against her own.

Lighting's strokes were powerful, and as she parried, she also attacked, her own forcing the man backwards until she found an opening in his failing defence and stabbed in between his ribs. He screamed out, blood circling the embedded tip of Lightning's weapon and soaking down his shirt. He started calling to the woman in a painfully strangled voice, and she was fast approaching a split second later. With a frustrated sigh Lighting brought her sword free and quickly swiped it to her side, catching the woman off guard and slitting her throat so cleanly the blood did not spill until five seconds had passed.

That was that. The area was clear of enemies and Lightning could finally relax. She sheathed her weapon, stretched her arms until she heard and felt the bones crack, then turned and walked away to retrieve Vanille, but as she turned she was shocked to see that the lithe girl was approaching.

'Uh-oh,' Lightning thought as she slowly made her way towards her pale companion who was staring around at the results of the conflict.

"Wh-what happened? D-did they attack you?" she managed to stutter as she finally lifted her eyes from the bodies to stare back at Lighting somewhat accusingly. "Or did you just… kill them?"

Though there was no anger in her companions voice, Lighting shot her a nasty glare before turning her back and walking off ahead. She decided that Vanille could follow if she wanted, but her question had caught her off guard and left her even less caring about her than before.

Vanille realized that she had upset the woman and raced after her, stumbling on numb feet as she did so. "Hey, wait! Lighting, I'm sor-" She was cut off as her lack of energy forced her to the ground. She collapsed onto her side and struggled to calm her burning lungs as they screamed for air. Dots appeared in her vision and everything became 'barely there' as she began to pass out again, but a pair of heavy boots stopped in front of her a moment later and she heard a voice that was now all too familiar to her.

"Don't pass out again. I really don't want to have to carry you after that little workout."

A small smile flashed across Vanille's face, but though she tried, she could not bring herself to her feet, or even a sitting position.

"Here, you look pathetic," Lighting inserted slightly unkindly as she reached down and grasped Vanille's left arm in a strong hand and pulled her effortlessly to her feet.

Everything continued to sway as Vanille found herself standing again, but the world soon calmed as she stared back into the piercing eyes of Lighting. They were a frozen colour and sent shivers clawing down her spine, yet somewhere there was a warmth that opened up into her past self. In an instant a flood of images ran through Vanille's mind and she remembered one of her dreams telling her of the woman that now stood before her. She had not always been as cold as she was, and that was the hidden light inside of her, a past self trying to get out again. She was no more than a child, but her spirit had once been strong and barely breakable, but once the cracks had appeared a single event had shattered her, leaving her as the Lightning she was now.

"Vanille?"

The pigtailed girl opened her eyes to find that she was on her knees, staring down at the trembling concrete below her. At first she thought it was an aftershock from the sudden onslaught of memories that belonged to Lighting, but then she heard a deep rumbling that belonged to the sound.

"Quick, get up! They've found us!" Lightning was staring dead ahead, fear hidden behind a dark scowl that she had imprinted upon her face. Her eyes flashed back down to Vanille for a second and her expression grew angrier. "Get up, or I'll leave you here!"

The second order brought Vanille to her senses and she pushed herself back to her feet rather unsteadily, this time not being graced with Lighting's help. Instead the older woman had lunged at the new enemy, and as Vanille turned to face it she was almost forced back into unconsciousness.

A giant bright yellow machine in the shape of a wasp hovered over the ground, its giant black head swivelling to her lazily. Red globed eyes bulged out of its head, focused on the girl, and then a pair of slits appeared in its sides, just below the buzzing wings. The yellow metal slid upwards, disappearing under a thicker plate of metal, and two mechanical arms emerged, each having shining silver guns with three gun holes for hands.

As quick as a flash, Lightning leapt up and sliced it across the face, knocking the abomination backwards. It slid across the road, losing the balance to hover briefly, then it was back in the air, flying higher then before. Its gun-arms seemed to whir to life, the slowly they lifted and aimed at the pink-haired woman and her smaller partner.

Immediately Lightning rushed backwards and turned to face Vanille. "Get down!" she screamed, knocking her to the ground with desperate force. She herself slid backwards, stabbed the hilt of her sword into the ground behind her, then lifted herself and slammed her feet into the flat edge of the blade. A bright blue light surrounded her feet as she defied gravity for a few seconds, then she launched herself at the air-borne enemy.

Sparks showered down upon the ground as the pair collided and Vanille lost sight of Lightning. For a moment she was panic stricken and, ignoring the pain that burned in her arms from being thrown across the ground, she lifted herself to her feet and stared up at the bright explosion before her, searching for her the woman.

A moment later she finally appeared, somersaulting through the air and sheathing her sword at the same time as though it were as easy as tying her shoes. Her face was a mask of concentration and her eyes scanned the area briefly before she aimed her feet towards the ground and landed almost soundlessly, crouched low to the ground with her gun resting at her hip.

'Beautiful,' Vanille thought as she stared at the woman who was straightening up to stretch her arms again. 'Everything she does in combat is so perfect, so precise.' Envy surged through Vanille like blood through veins and she had a sudden wild thought that burst forth in her mind. She wanted to be taught to fight like that, be able to defend herself like the woman before her did.

"So what happened back there?"

Vanille shook her head as she realised that Lighting was speaking to her, and that was when she finally realised that the mechanical beats had disappeared in a clump of smoke. Unbelievably, Lighting had managed to completely obliterate it.

"I, um… Back there?" she managed to stumble as she stared back at Lighting who was growing impatient. Her hand now rested against her hip and she let out a deep exhale as she waited for an answer. Blood was still stained against her clothes in clear, bright spots and her hair was wilder than Vanille had seen it, yet she seemed unaffected by this. It was then when Vanille realised that her new companion was a killer, a predator, yet she was not afraid. She still lusted for her skills, but decided to ask later. Now was not the time.

"Yeah, back there you nearly lost it again. You were just staring at me, then the next thing I know your back on your knees. You don't need to rest do you?" It was clear Lightning would not let rest become an option, especially because of the situation they were in.

Finally Vanille found her voice again. "Oh, yeah, sorry about that." She scratched the back of her head as she tried to realise what had exactly happened, but as the memories she had viewed flashed before her again she decided that it was best she did not bring it up with Lightning. "That was nothing. I was just still a bit tired, that's all." She inserted a smile on her face, hoping it was convincing. "I'm fine. I don't need a rest."

"Good," Lightning replied simply as she turned on her heel. "I know how to get out from here by following a little shortcut. It should be easy from this point on until we get out. I'm not sure what lies out there, and I just hope you are." Without even waiting for a reply, she was off again, running down the long street at a pace just steady enough for Vanille to keep up.

Unfortunately Vanille did not realise this kind gesture. She was too bus thinking back on the memories she had discovered. She presumed it was because of her 'dreams' that had directed her to save Lightning. This was her first experience of it after all, so what was coming she had no idea, but her mind was dwelling on the fact of what she had seen. The old life Lighting had lived was drenched in misery and pain. Something had happened when she was little that had changed her, and it was a secret close to her heart. Having someone know anything about her past was sure to frighten her, being the strong, 'tough as stone' person she was, so Vanille decided then and there that she would try to avoid bringing up this knowledge.

For the moment, her urgent task was to keep Lightning alive. It as her job, her desire, and she would see it through to the end no matter the cost.


	4. Pulse

**Chapter Four: Pulse**

"Well, welcome to Pulse," Vanille said, introducing Lighting to the world outside of her caged life in Cocoon. "What do you think?"

"Green." Lightning answered simply, and it was a fitting description.

Moss covered trees danced in the wind around them, vines handing from the canopy and the dark clumps of leaves shut out most of the light. The ground was covered with a grass that was as thick as carpet that held no flowers, only small black rocks that rose out in slabs. It was a lonely quiet place, the only sound being the small birds that flittered in and out of the plants and the constant chattering of small animals waiting for the strangers to pass.

"Well, I'll agree, it's not much…" Vanille said, a little disappointed at Lighting's response. "But you just wait. There is one place in here that I know you'll love!"

Lightning rolled her eyes and continued deeper into the forest. "Somehow, I doubt that." She turned as she spoke and stared through the thick layers of flora to stare back at the glimpses of giant grey wall that surrounded Cocoon. "I miss the comforting shelter already, despite wanting to be free of it for so many years."

This brought a smile to Vanille's face. "You're scared."

"No, I'm not scared of a little scenery," Lightning shot back, struggling to contain the volume of her voice. "I just… haven't been this, well, 'outside' before." She turned and began to walk through the bushes and shrubs, ignoring the younger girl completely as she bound up beside her, expertly finding a faster route.

"Okay, sorry. I guess you're immune to fear," Vanille said, rolling her eyes.

Lightning smiled at the compliment. "Thank you," she said as kindly as possible, but she did not think she was immune. In fact, she knew she wasn't. Her past had showed her that.

The forest was Lightning's first taste of freedom and it was starting to coax out her more excited, but the area wasn't without it dangers.

"Did you hear that?" Vanille asked urgently, her hand flying out and gripping Lightning's shoulder to pull her back roughly.

The woman pushed her off forcefully and stared ahead, an enthusiastic grin printed on her face. "Oh, I heard it," she murmured quietly, her blade already in her hand. "A wolf, or maybe something much more exhilarating."

"Oh great, I've brought out the monster in you."

Lightning snickered. "You haven't seen anything yet. Watch this." Then she was gone in a second becoming a maddened woman, slicing her way through the branches and leaves recklessly until the growls turned into savage animal cries. Vanille lost view of Lightning and started to worry, for the sounds of struggle were clear.

"Lightning? Hey, do you need some help?"

No answer.

"Hey! You okay?"

Still silence.

That was all the girl could take. She rushed in, throwing herself down the leaf strewn path and calling her companions name. She was blinded as vines whipped into her face where Lightning had missed with her over-excited swings. Finally she was stopped in her path as her foot struck a stone and she was sent flying through the air. She landed with a yelp on her stomach then lay still, her entire body aching and her mind struggling to understand what had happened and if she was even hurt.

As her senses returned to her, She lifted her head a fraction, but immediately regretted the action. A giant wolf's head twice the size of own stared own at her, the long shaggy grey fur mattered with blood. Black markings seemed to shine as its bright yellow eyes glared down at its new prey, then with a snarl it bared its teeth and prepared to strip flesh from the victim of the fall.

Lightning was fast. She struck the wolf in the side, splitting open its entire ribcage and leaving it to land a few metres away where blood trickled down from the wound. She smirked at the sight and then glanced down at her bloodied weapon.

"I was hoping to keep this clean."

The kill had caught Vanille off guard. She hadn't even had the time to convince herself that she was going to die, let alone understand the sudden defeated threat.

Seeing her state, Lightning sighted and lifted the girl to her feet again with no effort. "You're going to need to get used to seeing things like that now that you're with me."

Vanille had understood that and took the chance to ask her question as subtly as she possibly could. "Then why don't you teach me?"

The ask shocked Lightning and for a moment all she could do was stare at Vanille. It seemed she had hit a nerve.

"I'm sorry, but-"

"No, it's okay," Lightning cut her off, lifting a hand to ensure her silence. "I understand if you want to learn how to stand up for yourself better, but I can't teach you how to kill like that. I won't"

Vanille shrugged. "That's okay, I guess, but… why?"

Lighting answered as she walked away, refusing to face the girl. "Because I don't want you to turn out like me."

It was dawn by the time the pair reached the part of the forest Vanille had wanted to show Lightning, and it was then when she began her own personal tour to lighten the mood.

"Okay, are you ready to learn about Quari Forest?" she asked in a booming voice that echoed through the trees and seemed ear-splitting in the silence.

"Quari Forest? That's what this place is called?"

Vanille was surprised at Lightning's lack of education. "You lived in the middle of it for as long as you remember and you didn't even know what it was called?"

Lightning shrugged in her defence. "I don't usually pay much attention to things like that. It doesn't bother me."

"Wow…" Vanille gasped. "Not like me. I would _die _if I didn't know."

They continued down a small valley that gradually became like a canyon. Large moss covered rocks rose on either side of them like walls and a small creek ran alongside in a small crack in the earth. Flowers grew alongside, swaying gently in the wind on short stubby brown stems. They brought bright colours to the scenery other than the usual green, and Lightning found herself bending down to pick one of the largest and lightest purple coloured.

"Pretty, aren't they?" Vanille piped up, standing close to them besides Lightning.

As she smelled the flower, Lightning's nose wrinkled and she flicked it from her hand. The flower landed in the water, ripples erupting around it, and it floated across the steady stream.

"Not the nicest smelling though," Lightning pointed out as she turned and began walking again, this time pausing to let Vanille catch up. She peered at her form over her shoulder impatiently. "Well, how far is this place?"

The gesture surprised Vanille, so she was slow to reply. "Umm… oh, not far. It's just a bit further down here."

"Good. I want to see this place to stop your whining, then leave this damned forest."

Immediately Vanille realised that Lightning was simply waiting up so she could insult her yet again, but again all she did was sigh and continue to follow in the woman's footsteps.

Like it or not, they were stuck with each other.

"Okay, it's just through here."

The pair stood outside of the wall of rock that rose steadily higher the further they trekked along the creek's edge. A giant fracture rose up the rock and disappeared near the top, though it was wide enough for them both to fit through. Flowers covered the outside, struggling to reach past the tall grass that led into the dark cavern just visible inside.

"This is it?" Lightning asked, not even bothering to hide the disappointment in her voice.

Vanille jumped in front of her and stood before the crack. "Come on Lightning, at least pretend to be excited. You wanted out of Cocoon, right? Well, this is a great place to start!" She flung herself around and smiled widely at the pink-haired woman. "I promise this will be worth it."

Again Lightning let out a sigh, and though she didn't nod, Vanille knew that she was willing to go on. The opportunity to play tour guide again was too much for her and she bounded into the darkness, calling out for her 'tourist' to follow.

Reluctantly, she did.

The inside of the cavern was beautiful, Lightning could not deny that. She found herself staring straight at the walls as colours danced across. Blues, purples, crimsons… then she saw the source. A line of crystals climbed up the walls like plants, and pools of water below reflected their colour. Ahead there was another wall that held a grand crystal that sparkled a bright yellow. In front of it was more water, and beneath the surface was a small group of stones that sparkled a deep blue.

Vanille sat upon a slab of stone that was next to the left wall. She traced her hand along she patterns of reflected light with her finger, then turned to Lightning and smiled, patting her hand on the space beside her.

Lightning ignored the gesture and instead headed straight for the pool that held the odd stones and stared up at the giant crystal.

"The crystals in here. They must be worth a fortune."

Vanille gasped form behind her, then hung her head. "Well, yeah, probably, but… they make this place special. I would never even think of selling them."

Her choice of words pricked Lightning's curiosity. "Wait, are you the only one that knows about this place?"

Vanille nodded, but then regretted it. "Lightning, this is my… special place. Ever since I found it when I was little I would come here to think. Please... ound it when I was little I would come here to finger, then turned to Lughtning and smiled, patting her handdon't tell anyone about it."

Slowly, Lightning turned back to the crystal, though she was not really looking at it. Instead she was thinking. The girl was so innocent, so kind hearted and good natured. "Vanille, why me?"

"What?"

Lightning exhaled and took a step closer to the water to stare down at the stones while she thought. Finally, she spoke again. "Why were you chosen to come and save me? Were… so different."

Behind her, Vanille simply shrugged. "We don't get to choose whose souls we save. Our dreams decide." She knew she sounded crazy and lowered head.

"I see." Lightning didn't turn around. She was too busy trying to understand this 'ability' the dreamer held, but the younger girl asked her next question.

"Back in the trees you said you didn't want me to be like you."

Lightning froze.

"Is that what this is about?" Vanille continued.

There was silence for a few moments before Lightning decided to finally grace the cavern with her words, but they were cold and clearly concealing deep emotions. "I don't like what life has made me."

It was Vanille's turn to hesitate. She was unsure of what to say, what to do. How would Lightning react if she said something like, 'I think you're a good person!' She didn't know her at all, so she stayed quiet and just stared at the crystals beside her head.

It was clear that Lightning would say no more on the subject.

"Come on," was all she said after a moment. "We should get out of this forest. I want to find someplace to sleep, and maybe get something to eat." She paused and turned to the shocked Vanille. She had tried so hard to please Lightning by taking her here, and now Lightning was leaving. "It's a nice place," she managed to choke out, even delivering it with a small smile. "I think we should come here again soon."

This brought a happy smile to Vanille's face. "Okay. Your right, we should get going." She pulled herself from the slab of rock and headed towards the opening with Lighting. "Come on, my village is just outside of the forest, and that you will definitely like."


	5. Ritrador Village

**Chapter Five: Ritrador Village **

At the end of the woods was a wall of wood that stretched out through the trees as far as the eye could see. Every few metres a slit would appear in the wood, thin, but noticeable. Footsteps and voces could be heard on the other side, some becoming distant and some sounding close as people passed.

Vanille approached the gate, peered into the slit, then said, "Jeran, it's me, Vanille. Open up." She spoke kindly, her voice was high and sweet, and as the wood was pulled apart, the slit becoming wide enough to see through, Lightning could see why.

Jeran was a man of a very old age. His hair was as white as a sheet and sat on his head in a messy pile. His pale blue eyes glared at Vanille and he sneered unkindly. "Damn kids these days. You lot don't know how hard it is to pull open that gate! It's heavier than it-"

"That's great! Come on Lightning," Vanille interrupted, rushing past the man and heading into the village.

Jeran glared after her, tried to raise a fist, but his arm was shaking so badly he could barely bring it past his waist. With a sigh he gave up and spat on the ground, then hobbled off up the street.

To Lightning, the village was a very different sight indeed. Different, but poor. She was used to towering buildings with glass windows lining all the way to the top, not small, compact houses of wood that looks ready to blow over in a storm. The ground beneath her feet was a light brown dirt, almost a shade of red. Stones dug into her boots as she stepped through the gate and took a deep breath. It was all so odd to her, the animal pens keeping huge wild birds and other animals behind, the small critters that ran along the ground around her, the colourful mats and curtains hung about everywhere that had definitely been stitched by hand. Even the people were strange to her. So full of laughter, dancing and swaying about with happy smiles on their faces. Chatter filled the air, surrounded by the aroma of cooking, and as she struggled to keep her senses under control, fear struck at Lightning's heart.

"Lightning!" Vanille cried out across the village, and no one turned to stare, no one even seemed to notice.

"This is… unbelievable…" Lightning gasped. She found herself kneeling forward, her hands pressed to her knees as she struggled to keep her breathing steady. How could there be a world like this? She was so used to her city, pulsing with life and buzzing with activity. Electricity was used for everything, mechanical monsters roaming around to protect the people… from her. It was then when she realised that she was safe there, but could she be sure of that?

"Are you alright?" Vanille was upon her now, staring down at her with concerned eyes. "Lighting, you're shaking."

With a choked cough Lightning rose herself to a standing position and managed to smile back at the smaller girl. "I'm fine." The worlds stumbled out, and she knew how unconvincing it sounded.

Slowly and gently Vanille draped an arm around the woman's back, but she was shoved away with some force. Immediately she dropped her helping arm to her side and tried to hide the hurt that surged through her and forced her heart to pound quickly in her chest.

Seeing her pain Lightning sighed and shook her head. "Seriously, I'm fine. I don't need help." As though to look more convincing she stood taller than before and stared forward confidently. "Well, anywhere we heading in particular in here?"

Vanille had already pushed back the surprise at Lightning's reaction and was pointing to a long house to their left that stretched out longer than many of the other small buildings. "Let's go in there. It's a small restaurant run by a family I know. We can talk and eat, then we can go back to my house and you can get some rest, and I-"

Lightning was already gone, walking over to the source of food and stopping at the door to wait for Vanille, conscious that she knew the people inside and therefore knew what to expect.

She didn't have any idea what to expect at all in this place.

Inside the restaurant Lighting felt comfortable and her nerves finally eased. With a drowsy sigh she slumped into one of the booths that lined the wall to her left. It was cushiony and warm and she felt she could fall asleep, but her companion was never out of words.

"So how you liking Ritrador Village?"

Lightning closed her eyes and found a smile spreading across her face. "Ritrador?"

Vanille shrugged. "Well it's better than Cocoon. That sounds so much like a cage…" She shuddered at the thought.

This time Lightning managed a laugh. "You don't like being stuck in one place, do you?"

"Being concealed? No way."

In the centre of the room tables and chairs of dark timber littered the floor, and below was a carved symbol that stretched across the floor, its swirls and spikes reaching across lazily. Across from the small setting was the bar where the workers, all dressed in black and brown clothes, rushed around with mugs of liquid and plates of food. Along the walls dark red, orange and yellow curtains were hung to brighten up the room, and a giant globe hung down from the ceiling, illuminating everything in the bright white light.

It took only a minute for a waitress to wander over and ask the girl what they wanted.

"The usual, Saira," Vanille piped up with a grin. "And my friend here will probably have something huge with a lot of meat and a side of vegetables."

Lighting raised her eyes at the choice that had been made for her as the woman named Saira wandered back to gather their food. Lighting ignored the curious look that was given to her by the waitress and instead focused on the girl across from her.

"Okay, that is just scary Vanille."

"What?"

Lighting scoffed at her answer. "What? How did you know what I eat?"

This time Vanille scoffed, but it changed to laughter. "Lighting, do you have any idea how predictable you are?"

"No one can guess what someone eats like that."

"No one? Are you sure?"

Lighting smiled. "Well, no one sane."

Vanille burst into laughter, clearly amused at the thought of being insane, but she was cut off as Lighting's stomach gave an enormous growl, protesting against hunger.

"Don't worry, she won't be long," Vanille said, then clasped her hands together on the table. "So let's get down to business. I bet you have a few questions for me."

It only took Lighting a few seconds to decide on the first. "Do you have a plan on what were going to do next?"

Immediately it was clear that Vanille didn't, for she stared at the table sadly. "Sorry… all I know is that I had to save you from that town, and now it's my job to stick with you. According to my dreams, you are destined to save us all, and to free everyone in Cocoon."

Lighting froze at the new piece of information. "What? Free them? Why?"

Vanille sighed and tapped her fingers against the table. "Sorry, I should have mentioned it before at Cocoon, but there wasn't time. We had to run."

"Yeah, you should have mentioned it!" Lightning was losing it. She had been turned against by her fellow soldiers, betrayed by the entire government, and now an Aurthel was with her, leading her into something that could spell her doom just because of some dreams she had.

Shock struck Vanille and she instinctively looked around to see everyone else staring at them. "Lighting, please calm down," she pleaded soothingly as she turned back to face her. "I know this is all hard to take at the moment-"

"Oh do you? You have no idea Vanille!" Lighting was almost on her feet. Her legs begged her to allow them to carry her away and her heart was beating so fast she feared for her health, but she was too angry to turn away from the girl that was squirming uncomfortably in front of her like a worm. She wanted answers.

"Okay, so I don't know, but don't think you're the only one who has been thrown into this!" Vanille retaliated, for once rising above the fear of the woman. She was trained to kill, trained to fight, yet Vanille faced her. "I don't know much about it, but apparently your government is corrupt. It is going to do something to the people in there. Some sort of tests…"

Lightning threw her hands into the air, her face going red with rage. "More information I had no idea about! How did you fail to tell me this? There was plenty of time!"

"Because," Vanille started, shouting the word back at Lightning. "I wanted to be your friend. I didn't think there would be much point on trying to get you to listen if you were busy treating me like a piece of dirt, and look, you still are!"

That was all Lightning could take. She rose herself from the table in such a rush her knees hit the wooden edge. She flinched, ignored the pain, and leaned forward so that her face was close to Vanille's. In a deadly voice she whispered, "I don't make friends." Then she walked from the restaurant without a single backward glance.

Vanille sat back in her chair and wiped a fresh tear from her face. She had tried so hard to become closer to the woman, but it clearly was a waste of time. She considered giving up on the entire ordeal, but a bite of cold bitterness swept through inside. What kind of a person would she be then? No, she couldn't give up. She had to save the woman. She had to find her and convince her to continue on.

It was already beginning to reach the evening by the time Lighting had calmed enough to notice. She realised she was standing in the centre of the village, her hands tangled in her hair, halfway through the process of ripping it out.

All eyes were on her, staring and seeming unsure of exactly what to do. She scowled at them all until they turned away, then she pulled her hands away to stare down at them. They were shaking, and no matter how hard she tried she could not steady them.

The villagers retreated to their houses, seeming afraid of this stranger, and so they should have been. She was completely losing it, being thrown into a situation she did not even know anything about. Her anger flared up at the thought of Vanille. She should have told her everything! That was what the soldiers did in Cocoon. They briefed on everything and checked it twice.

"But she isn't from Cocoon," Lightning reminded herself out loud. "She's not like me. She lives here, and everything is different for her." It was true, Lighting did not want the girl to be like her because of her dreadful past, but she did not realise how different the girl really was.

There was no more time to think, for a sudden cold gust of wind buffeted into Lightning's back. She was propelled forward, slipped, and smacked her forehead against the ground. She felt the skin tear at the tip of a rock and felt a trickle of warm blood slid down her face until it dripped to the dirt ground.

A dark mist had appeared and it swirled around her like a cloak tightening on the person beneath. It became hard to see as Lighting lifted her head, and she found herself squinting to try and locate the target. Her hand twitched, then was upon the hilt of her weapon.

"Uh, uh, I don't think that is very necessary."

The voice was cold like ice, but the speaker did not reveal themselves. Another strong force of wind sent the sword flying from Lightning's iron grip as though it was nothing but a papier-mâché.

"Shit," Lighting swore silently as she pulled her body into a tight sit. She felt protected like this, making sure her head was lowered and tucked to her chest and her back was going to take the most damage… but not attack came.

"Now, there is no need for that."

This time the person speaking revealed themselves, and Lighting found it quiet ironic that the darkness was indeed a cloak. It swirled around the man until it was a long, tight cloak that trailed along the ground behind him in a black mess. He was pale skinned, almost like a corpse and dark circles surrounded his eyes. He had a thin line for a mouth, and as it opened into a laugh the sound was hollow and frightening. He had a dark mess of hair that hung over his face and spiked around his head, finishing in a long row of small points that continued down the top of his head.

"Who are you?" Lightning asked, already trying to form a plan of how to retrieve her sword and kill the man without being attacked first. As she stared at the throbbing cloak that surrounded him she became sure that he was not prepared to attack.

The man took a few steps forward as though to allow Lighting to see him better, and she was glad he did, for he was not a man, but a mere boy. Definitely not as dangerous as she had first feared.

His grin widened as he spoke. "Well, you are certainly a lot less… innocent then what I expected."

"Who are you?" Lightning repeated, this time deliberately flicking her eyes towards her gun-blade to show that she wanted an answer this time.

His smile did not falter. "My name is Tias, and I am a part of a small 'cult', if you will." His irritating grin finally faded and he became serious. "This is all I can tell you right now, but I must ask that you seek me out. Then I will tell you more."

The flickers of rage that Lightning had felt before changed into a wild inferno. "So you're going to hide things from me as well, huh? I'm the one who has been dragged into all of this, and yet I can't get any information out of anyone! What am I supposed to do?!" She was on her knees, tears of anger and hatred running down her face. She knew that it was childish, what she was saying, but she could not hold it back. Everything came pouring out of her, and she could not hold back the flood.

Tias did not speak straight away. He approached, but froze in front of her and stared down with pity. Slowly he reached down and pressed a hand gently to her back, stilling her shaking form. All muscles tenses and she ceased to breathe for a moment and she struggled to decide wether or not to attack or leave him as he was, but she had no time to decide.

With a faint whisper or, "Seek Thor's Clearing," he disappeared with a whip of his cloak. The blackness swirled around her, the fabric having no feeling against her skin.

Then he was gone, and she was alone.

There was no feeling, no sound. She was barely even aware as a droplet of rain splattered against the back of her neck where her hair had parted to flow down the sides of her face, concealing the tears from any prying eyes. She liked it that way, hiding her weaknesses from everyone else, and she hated herself from revealing her hurt in front of the strange boy, Tias. What did he want from her? How did his fate tie up with hers? And what was Thor's Clearing?

There was too much to think about as fatigue drained Lightning of all senses. Her eyes began to droop, but she refused to give up that easily. Slowly, she lifted herself up with her arms, but they shook terribly and she collapsed onto her stomach. There she lay in the dirt, trying to figure everything out in her head as it throbbed with questions.

She was almost thankful when unconsciousness claimed her.

It was much later than Vanille had expected it to be by the time she left the restaurant to search for Lightning. She had decided that she would speak to her about the journey they were to take and apologise for not telling her everything. Though her heart ached for being rejected at friendship, she still wanted to help the woman. She was human after all, and after what she had been through, Vanille did not want her to be alone.

When she found her lying in the centre of the village with a small crowd surrounding her, she almost collapsed herself.

"Lightning!" she cried out, diving through the crowd and kneeling by her companion's side. A large well built boy with long brown hair that covered his eyes almost completely knelt on the opposite side, his fingers against Lightning's neck to locate a pulse.

"Is she okay?" Vanille whispered, fear gnawing at her insides, but the boy smiled encouragingly at her.

"Yeah, she's fine. Looks like she just passed out." He frowned for a moment. "Some people saw her. They said she was having some kind of hallucination, speaking to nothing and then bursting into tears, but there was a really strong wind." He finished with a shrug and lifted one of Lightning's arms around his shoulders.

Vanille stared at the unconscious form, tears of pity swirling in her eyes, but she bit them back and helped the boy carry her across the middle of the village. Everyone stepped back to let them by, but they looked at Lightning as though she were tainted. This infuriated Vanille, but she held back remarks that danced on her tongue.

As soon as the pair had Lightning safely on Vanille's bed, the boy left and Vanille was in charge of taking care of Lightning.

Once she had a wet cloth over her forehead and had the small cut cleaned, she pulled blankets over her for warmth, then fetched a glass of water to set beside her. Deciding to stay with her until she woke instead of getting res herself, Vanille pulled a chair up to the bed and sat, waiting for any signs of stirring.

Twenty minutes later she too was consumed by darkness.


	6. An Aurthel's Dream

**Chapter Six: An Aurthel's Dream**

There was only darkness, choking the air and surrounding Vanille as she fought against the black swirling mass. Her screams were silent, her sight was blinded. A heaviness weighed her down until she found herself falling. Lights flashed around her, images of places she had seen before. She concentrated on them, tyring to make sense of what they actually revealed, then she saw her. The pink haired fighter stared back, glaring in many of the stilled pictures that rippled and changed every second. They were in the forest, in Pulse, in the cave of crystals…

"Everywhere you have been," a sudden voice spoke, the sound echoing through the tunnel.

There was a painless thump as Vanille hit a surface. Water sprayed up around her, then a flash of bright light revealed it to be blood. It splattered down upon her back, covered her completely. She thrashed on the spot in disgust, trying to push herself up, but something was holding her down.

"Don't fight against these fears. She will not hurt you."

There she was, Lightning, fighting through a horde of shadowy men and woman holding weapons designed for killing. Lightning was not afraid. She rushed at them, her own weapon drawn, then she unleashed a flurry of attacks to swift to catch.

Vanille lowered her head to hide away from the gruesome scene, then the voice spoke to her again in a calming voice.

"The journey has gone well so far, but there is more ahead. You are both in much danger. More mysteries lie in this fate then the government of Pulse."

This time Vanille grew mad. "She doesn't want my help! What am I supposed to do when there are so many threats!?"

"Unlock her past."

It was so simple, those words. So shocking that Vanille shuddered. Her memory of the rush of events that had entered her mind that time she had touched lightning plagued her again and she realised that as an Aurthel she was capable of much more than dreaming drams such as these.

"Yes, now you are understanding. You must seek out yourself as well, child."

The voice was fading, and Vanille was thrown back into panic as she realised that the blood was still falling down upon her. It was consuming her, drowning her. Fatigue anchored her head down and her face was dipped into a pool of the warm liquid. She couldn't breathe, couldn't open her eyes, but she could hear the last words.

"I cannot dispel your fear of her deeds. You must do this yourself."

"Vanille!"

That voice, so familiar to her already. Vanille kept her eyes shut, though she was now awake, conscious of the sound of Lightning's steady breathing, her presence so close, her hand… slapping her in the face!

"Whoa, hey!" Vanille cried in protest, reaching out and grasping Lightning around the wrist to stop the third attack.

Slowly the woman pulled herself back and smirked. "Well, you were freaking out in your sleep."

Vanille sighed and rubbed her stinging face. "You could have shaken me or something! What was wrong with something _normal _like that?"

Lightning only laughed and pushed herself up onto her feet. "That isn't as anger-relieving."

A small grown escaped Vanille, but she couldn't hold back the snort of laughter. "You're angry? At what?"

"Try 'who'" Lightning replied, walking towards the small kitchen just across from the bed she had been left on. Her memory of the previous night was still fresh on her mind and she wanted answers.

Life was already stirring outside of the house. People were waking up and beginning the embrace the day. The rain from the night remained, pattering against the window, running down the glass and leaving veins of water behind.

"Well, breakfast?" Lightning asked as she approached the pantry that stood between rows of short cupboards.

The dream was still heavy of Vanille's mind, so she remained on the seat where she had fallen asleep the night before. She had started to remember everything that had happened and her mind was already starting to twist itself into knots.

"Do I have to slap you again?"

Sheepishly, Vanille turned away from Lightning, but the woman had seen a tear trickling down her face. With a heavy sigh she lifted herself form her seat and trailed over to the young girl. She blamed herself for the state she was in after the way she had acted at the restaurant before, so she slid herself down beside her on the floor beside the chair.

"I understand why you are upset, Vanille. I shouldn't have acted how I did last night at the restaurant. It was… stupid." She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her hands against them as she waited for a reply from Vanille.

At first, she was shocked. The tears were from the dream she had had only a few hours before, and Lightning thought it was from the way she had acted? She wasn't to blame… or was she?"

Seeing that she would get no reply, Lightning spoke again. "I'm not surprised if you don't want to travel with me… but, I want you to." It was hard for her to say this, but she managed to keep her voice kind and convincing, though she hid the fact that most of the reason was because her life was in the girls hands. Perhaps time would force her to open up more and show her more reasons for keeping the girl by her side.

The sound of gentle rain filled the room, the only sound filling the silence. Vanille didn't speak for she was unsure of how to explain the dream to Lightning. The voice had told her that more dangers lie ahead, that she had to fight off the fear of the woman who had been trained to kill. How could she explain this to her when she already had enough to deal with, swirling around in her head. Last night had proved that she could not take much more, but she had also told Vanille to let her in on everything that she knew.

The decision was made, and Vanille spoke.

"Lightning, last night I had a dream. An Aurthel dream. The voice that directed me to save you, it spoke again." She paused to calm herself down before continuing, noting that Lightning had stiffened completely beside her. "It said that we have many more challenges ahead of us, threats… And it also said that I must unlock your past to save you, and to stop myself from being afraid of you…"

For a moment Lightning did not speak. Instead she stared into nothingness, her eyes unblinking and unmoving. She stayed completely still even as she spoke. "You're afraid of me?"

Vanille managed a smile as she nodded.

Lightning had not even turned to see her nod, but had expected her to agree. "You have no idea what my past holds. You will not be able to view it if you are afraid of me now when I have not even killed or attacked over twenty people yet." Her voice was icy as she thought back through her past and then she winced as though it brought her physical pain. "Anyway, how could you view them in the first place? They're all locked away in here," she added, tapping a finger to her temple. "Locked away very, _very _deep."

The answer to this came out shaky as Vanille had not had a chance to tell her yet, and she feared the anger that flared up from Lightning the previous night would roar back to life again. "Back in Pulse, when you were helping me to my feet, I saw flashes of your past… I… I'm sorry." Another tear flowed down her cheek and she began to tremble from head to toe.

Lightning sighed again, only this time gentler than before. "Vanille, it's okay. You can't control what you are…" Something in the way she said that held a certain bitterness. She knew indeed that it was unable to change once life had morphed you into the person you were.

Again there was quiet in the small wooden house, and the rain began to pick up. Lightning knew that it was hard for Vanille because she was afraid of her, and now she had the burden of discovering what she really was. Slowly and calmly the woman draped her arm across Vanille's back and held it there for comfort. She could feel the girl's shoulder blades tense, saw her still in the corner of her eyes, but as the moment stretched out she calmed again and even smiled at the comforting gesture.

"Don't worry," Lightning said quietly, squeezing the girl on the shoulder lightly. "Were in this together now. I promise."

Authors Note: _This chapter is dedicated to my most loyal reader, Thriced! Thank you for all of your support! And to everyone else who has encouraged me, I thank you as well ____ This story would be… well… wouldn't be if it wasn't for all or your support. The next chapter is coming ASAP! _

_P.S, sorry this chapter is so short. The next one will be bigger, I swear._


	7. First Step Towards Tomorrow

**Chapter Seven: First Step Towards Tomorrow**

To Vanille, mornings were wonderful. The start of a new day, reset moods, chances to rethink and mend the past. The rising sun was like a beacon of hope, shining its faithful light down on the first risers of the day.

Unfortunately, her pink-haired companion didn't share her views.

"I don't see why we have to get up so early. You can barely even see the sun at this time in your little world."

"Lighting, first of all, this is not 'my little world'. It's just the land beyond your overprotective and completely unnecessary wall around your town, and secondly, you were the one who woke up first in my house, and now you're complaining?"

Lightning glared sideways at Vanille as she walked through the centre of the village, ignoring the many eyes that turned to stare at her. "I was hungry. It didn't mean I wanted to actually physically get up and wander through the rain at dawn."

Up ahead was the second gate leading to the opposite side of the forest. It thinned out to an eventually field that grew higher and higher onto lopsided levels until it was nothing but mountain. On the other side was a desert, then beyond… Vanille did not have that information.

"It's not dawn," she protested. "And I thought you wanted to get all of this sorted out. That guy, Tias. He told you to seek out Thor's Clearing, and that is in the field outside of the Quari Forest. Didn't you want to find him as soon as possible and figure out what he wants? And by the way, it's barely raining anymore."

Lightning did not answer straight away. She didn't like it when people argued with her, especially when they were right. She did want to find the clearing to speak with Tias again, and she secretly wanted to leave the village. People everywhere stared at her, pointing when she thought she could not see and muttering when they thought she could not hear. The place was so bare to her as well. A few plants in wooden boxes, the flowers and leaves spilling over, muddy dirt floor surrounded by giant boxes of wood that served as houses… She was used to her town, Cocoon, towers and machines, bright lights and statues.

The gates left a shadow pouring onto the ground. It engulfed Lightning and Vanille as they approached like a bad omen, and it left Vanille feeling uneasy. She turned to Lightning as though searching for comfort, but the woman was already pressing her hands against the smooth timber and pushing against the wood. Trails in the dirt appeared as the heavy doors dragged across the ground and it left scraping sound that gathered attention.

"Leaving so soon Vanille?" It was the boy from the previous night. He rushed over and placed a hand on her shoulder as they watched Lightning open the gate. She noticed that his fingers that extended from large tanned hands trailed across Vanille's collar bone, and the poor young girl shuddered at his touch. A surge or anger rushed through Lightning and she wanted more than anything to pull Vanille away, to protect her from the boy, and as soon as the doors were apart and light was spilling in, she did just that.

"Come on Vanille," she muttered, pulling her away by the wrist and leaving the boy to stare after them. All Vanille could manage was an awkward wave of goodbye to her fellow villagers before she was whisked out into the trees.

Almost immediately the doors were pulled shut by the people inside.

"Well they aren't the nicest people, are they?" Lightning said as she glared back at the wooden walls hat surrounded the village she was relieved to escape from.

It caught her off guard again to see Vanille's eyes filling with tears. She turned away to hide the fact and gazed instead at the trees that were now spread out amongst the tall green grass.

"Vanille, what's wrong?" Lightning could not hide the slight irritation that entered her voice. She hated being taken out of her comfort zone.  
With a shuddering breath, Vanille answered the previous question. "The people in there… They used to like me, they used to all be my friends, but… They're afraid of you. They, well, 'we', don't like strangers… and after last night when you saw some man in a cloak of shadow and collapsed into unconsciousness… they wanted you to leave."

The sound of birds fluttering by and leaves being blown in the wind was all that could be heard as Lightning struggled with the new information. She hated the people in Ritrador Village, she hated them for hating her, she hated them for feeling the same about Vanille when it was not her fault… and she hated that boy.

"Well one of them seemed upset to see you leaving," she pointed out, not hinting on the fact that she was enraged about his act. She didn't know this girl well, nor did she think she was overly close to her, but a strange sisterly protectiveness has consumed her at the sight she had seen and she could not explain it.

Again Vanille cowered away and a tear trickled down her cheek. She could not hide it, so she spoke immediately in a thick distraught tone. "Therv, or Thervinelle, has liked me since I was little. My… parents. They used to make jokes. They were trying to get me to marry him one day, but then… he grew obsessive… He would follow me all around the village and try to talk to me all the time, and I got frightened…" She paused for a moment and a small grin appeared on her pained face. "That's why I enjoy escaping from the same place, and that's why I know a lot of the area. I broke free of the village, travelled through the forest, came to recognise every tree, every colour, every smell… The crystal cave. But he followed one day and caught me off guard. I fell down a small slope and dislocated my arm, but he didn't go back for help. He ran down to me and tried to carry me back, all the while saying that this deed meant I had to do one for him."

Lightning stopped her for a second. "Your arm… I haven't even noticed anything about it."

Vanille shrugged. "Well, it does slow me down a little. That's why I don't really fight." She shrugged again, then continued. "Anyway, when he got me to the village, they all thought he was a hero. I slept for a few days, healed up, had my arm fixed, then he came for his reward." She shuddered for a moment. "He told me to spend the rest of my days with him, and he told the entire village that I said I would on the way back to the village after he rescued me. They believed him, for he was the village hero, and even my parent's did… Fortunately my big brother Thane didn't believe a word of it and threatened to beat him to a pulp if he did anything like that again…"

It took Lightning a moment to realise that the story was finished. "Wait, so that's it? He still tries? And I didn't see any 'Thane' or your parents."

She had hit a nerve, for Vanille flinched and turned away. "They died. Being outside of a giant well-constructed town like yours brings a sense of freedom, but at a price. The illness swept through like a plague. Our village used to be vibrant, beautiful, and full of kind and caring people, but now…" That was the end. She would speak no more, and she nodded her head towards the path in front of them. "Come on, we should get a move on. We have been standing here forever."

It was no surprise to Lightning that after sharing such information her little companion wanted to move forward, and nay curiosity she still held was forced down where it could not pour out in questions. She followed without a word, but Vanille turned to face her as she walked.

"Well, what about you? Isn't it my turn now?" She had wiped the tears away and looked as bright as ever. "What happened to your parents?"

The smile was not returned. "They died as well," Lightning said in a cold voice as she passed ahead of Vanille without a backward glance.

It would take a while for Vanille to ask that question again.

Once the rain had passed on completely it left clear skies with white puffy clouds hanging lazily across the calming blue background. It suited the rolling fields well, making the short green grass seem to glow in all its glory.

Vanille had been right about the different levels. It seemed as though the ground could not make up its mind, lifting to higher hills, then rolling down to reach a lower height again. Trees lines the sides, keeping up with the constant terrain changes and disappearing over the highest ledge. Bushes and strange smooth stones of a deep purple dotted the area, small pools of water glistening in the light.

Again all Lightning could do was try and adjust to the changes she was facing. It was so bizarre to her, a world like this existing on her home's very doorstep.

"So what do you think?" Vanille asked as she bounded up in front of the warrior. Clearly she had forced herself to forget the previous conversation that had gone so wrong.

Lightning simply shrugged, hiding her true amazement with the area. "It's nice I guess."

"Nice? That's all?"

"Well… green."

"Again?!"

Lightning smiled. "Yeah. It's very green."

Frustrated, Vanille started to walk off ahead, pouting and crossing her arms. "I am trying to help you have a good time being away from your home.""And I really am grateful," Lighting explained as she caught up with her in only a few strides. "But I really am fine. I can find my own way to deal with it…. I can't say I particularly miss it anyway."

Vanille froze and turned to her. "But it's your home. I already miss Ritrador Village…" She stared down at the ground and a saddened expression flooded her face again. "I don't think they would let me back in now…"

"Hey, sorry about that," Lightning said to calm the girl down. "But the next time you go back, I won't be there."

This caught Vanille's attention and her eyes flicked up to lightning's. "That's supposed to make me feel better? What do you think is going to happen to you anyway?"

Lightning shrugged and silenced as she approached the first ledge that rose abruptly from the ground. She pulled herself up with ease then turned to yank up Vanille with even less effort. "I don't know, but I didn't think you would still want me around later when you can go back."

This time Vanille was hurt badly. "You… think that's what I want? You to just… go?"

Again Lightning just shrugged and walked along the long slope that headed down to the next level that rose up. She didn't like thinkning that someone could care that much about her. After what had happened to her family, the secret hidden deep inside of her, she hated to think of what could happen to someone else who grew to care for her.

"You really think that little of yourself?"

Vanille was beside her, half sliding down the slope. The grass was flattened beneath her feet, and the small purple rocks passed by her in a blur as she gained speed. A smile spread across her face as she prepared to slide all the way down, but she still waited for an answer from Lightning.

The conversation was growing uncomfortable for Lighting, but she still answered regardless. "As people experience more in life, they change. It's unavoidable."

Vanille tried to make a confused face, indicating that she could not understand the woman's words, but her feet could still not find a good grip and instead of sliding down the slipe gracefully she found herself tumbling down.

At first, Lighting thought she was joking.

"You won't gain my friendship by doing that," she called down after the twisting form of Vanille, but then she heard her strangled cries.

"Shit!"

Everything was a green and blue blur and Vanille found herself unable to tell whether she was on the grass or in the air. She yelled out whenever she could take a breath and prayed that something would stop her other than one of the rocks. Finally everything stilled as something laid against her side and forced her body to still.

"You alright?"

It was Lightning who had come to the rescue. She rested her hand against Vanille's ribs, then reached with her free hand and grasped her by the shoulder to slowly pull her up so she could examine her to make sure she was not injured.

"I'm fine, really," Vanille muttered as she noticed Lightning's hands already inching towards the potion poking out of her side pocket. Everything was still waving, but no longer severely, and she cold finally take in a lungful of proper air, not grass.

Lightning shook her head but a small smile crawled across her lips. "Well that was some idea."

Unfortunately Lightning, Vanille just did not learn.

Right after the incident they were atop the highest hills, overlooking the slopes and bumps below. More of the rocks stretched across the grass, mingling with the pools of water that had changed to little streams. They were made into waterfalls as they spilled over the edges of the strange stone formations and minature hills, butt he scenery was not what had Lightning's attention captured.

"This time I know what I'm doing," Vanille reassured as she approached the edge of the hill. "I do this all the time."

"Somehow I don't find that hard to believe," Lightning rpelied, but she was still concerned. "After what happened back there though, I don't think your having the luckiest of days.

"Lightning, I can do this!"

"Don't be an idiot. Get away from the edge."

"Let me show you how fun it is!"

"Vanille."

"Too late!"

"Vanille!"

She was gone. Out of sight, and no doubt with a broken neck already. Lightning was at the edge of the grassy hill, peering down to see Vanille rolling down, on her side this time… and laughing?

"Vanille?" Lightning called down. Of course the girl could not reply until she finally splashed to a stop in one of the small streams. The wet didn't seem to bother her, for she looked up with a shining grin on her face.

"Okay, your turn Lightning!"

Lightening sighed and pressed a hand against her head that was beginning to ache. How this girl had such an irritating impact on her, she would never know, but she too found herself lunching herself down the hill, hoping that perhaps she would find some happiness out of it.

It was exhilarating, flying through the grass, opening her eyes to see the confused swirl of colours that mixed together like paint. She was laughing, the soft ground comforting her as she slid down. She felt like a child, like a bird, free of everything, like… a delinquent. But she didn't care. She didn't mind at all, and for a moment, nothing mattered, only the moment.

To her, it was like killing, only harmless. No lives were ended so abruptly. No blood stained her clothes and hands. No anger flared, no tears fell…

"See, told you it was fun! You were giggling the whole time!"

Lightning glared up at Vanille as she pulled herself to her feet, but she laughed out even then. Slowly, she strode over to the nearest rock that split the stream of water into two separate forks. She realised that she was wet and laid herself out flat on the warm surface of the stone.

"Vanille, thank you," she said after a few moments.

"Why?"

The shadow of the younger girl blocked out the sun and Lighting found she could open her eyes and face her. "Because, I actually had fun, and no one had to die."

So that was fun to her. Killing. Ending everything for someone, and did she laugh like she had rolling down that hill? Did she smile like that. Vanille shuddered. "Well, at least you had fun."


	8. Friends and Enemies

**Chapter Eight: Friends and enemies**

It seemed there was no stopping her as soon as Vanille was on the road. She would sing and dance, chatter away until Lightning's ears felt raw, and she did it all without missing a step. She never stopped, never slowed, and though Lighting could go for days like this the events that had unfolded seemed to be weighing her down, so she needed to rest.

Her excuse was that she was worried that Vanille needed to eat.

"Aww, you were concerned?" Vanille asked in a sweet voice.

Lighting felt as though flames would burst to life around her through sheer irritation and regretted her lie.

They sat on the edge of a flat slope overlooking the mountain range below. It started off as small pointed mounds that rose from a gravel like ground far below, but they spread out to become a number of cliffs and sharp drops. The path that winded in between was thin and hard to see, and they led straight into the main mountains that towered above everything and blocked all sight of what lay behind.

Vanille gulped down her bottle of water in an instant and moved onto a handful of fruit they had brought along. She munched on some berries, moved onto an apple, then set it down half-finished and ley on her back in the grass with her hands behind her bread.

Lighting had managed to eat one berry, spit it out in disgust, and was just beginning to butter a slice of bread. She stared down at the form beside her and studied her breathing to see if she was asleep as her eyes slowly closed, but she was breathing too rapidly.

"You have too much energy," Lightning pointed out emotionlessly as she stared ahead at the death-trap they would soon be wandering through. She couldn't deny it though, she was excited and the adrenaline that tingled at her feet and toes, then rose up her spine and caused her to shiver was almost too much.

Vanille shrugged, a difficult thing to do when lying down. "It's just me," she replied simply. Her emerald eyes opened as a storm of questions for her quiet companion invaded her mind. She bit her kip and chose the least imposing one, then rose up so she could face Lightning.

"What was you life like, you know, before you met me?"

Lighting rewarded the young girl's curiosity with a sharp glare like glass. "Tread carefully Vanille."

"I was just thinking that maybe by knowing a little bit about your past I might be able to figure out more about you, and I can… well, talk to you more."

A sharp laugh escaped the older woman, but it was a cover up to avoid the question. "And why exactly do I want you to talk _more_? It's painful enough already."

Vanille poked out her tongue and turned away, closing her eyes again. "I just thought it might help."

This time Lightning did not laugh. She stared ahead without seeing, picked at the grass without feeling.

"I don't tell anyone about my past."

Like a cat, Vanille's head flicked up. "But why?" What are you afraid of? That people won't like you?"

Lightning smiled. "I have killed a lot of people Vanille, and after that, I haven't really opened up to anyone. I was like ice, frozen inside and out, silent, not speaking, but listening all the time. I already know more about you then you do yourself just by listening to what you say and watching you very _very _carefully, but me…" She lowered her head. "I don't even know who I am after killing so many people."

"But aren't you trained to kill?"

Again a smile spread across the woman's face. The wind blew her long hair behind her and left it billowing like a cape. She was beautiful, but broken inside from a past shadowed in black.

"It's who I killed that plagues me."

The conversation was not pushed further. Though Vanille itched to know more, she forced herself to hold back the questions and soon fell asleep. She was snoring into the grass before long, the calmness of the fields and warmth of the sun forcing her body into a slumbering state.

Lightning felt drained as well, but she did not follow to the dream world. She stared out at the land before her, the folds of grass and dirt leading towards the towering mountains. She was not afraid of the perilous scenery they would travel upon, but more of realising who she really was.

After all, did she want to know?

"Vanille, get up. We've been here for hours."

There was no slap this time, but Lightning did not wait for her fellow traveller to wake. She was already on her feet by the time Vanille opened her eyes, and was heading down the short slope, stepping through foot deep water without a single care.

Through blurry eyes Vanille made out the figure walking away. "Hey!" she yelled out, throwing herself from the grass and onto her feet. She snatched up her bag and raced after Lightning, stumbling as her tired, numbed legs struggled to regain energy and blood flow.

After a moment Lightning stopped and waited for the small girl to catch up.

"Took your time," she pointed out in a bored voice.

Vanille stared at her in surprise as she doubled over, her back heaving as she struggled to get a good amount of air into her lungs. "What did you just leave me there for?"

"I would have stopped eventually."

"But still…"

"Next time don't keep me waiting." Lightning's voice no longer left a hint of playfulness.

"Lightning…"

"Look." The soldier spun around, her cape waving around her almost majestically. Did she have to do everything perfect? Unfortunately her face was not inviting though. She glared sharply at her companion, her eyes staring straight at the emerald irises opposite her. "I don't hate you, I can admit that, but I will not act like a big sister. I will not treat you like a little sister. I will protect you, but don't expect me to act like other friends you have had."

For a moment Vanille did not know what to say. She didn't even know if she should speak at all. She turned her gaze away, but a smile played on her lips.

"But we are friends then… right?"

There was an opportunity to be cruel, to see another in pain for Lightning. She took it. "Vanille, I didn't say that."

Stung, Vanille swallowed and took a small step forward. "But… you said before-"

"I said we were in this together, because we are and that can't be helped." Lightning knew that her words were tearing the girl apart, but she was frustrated. There were so many emotions she felt around this girl. She wanted to protect her, to keep her safe from harm… It reminded her of her family, and tugged at the secret she had kept hidden even from herself. Wounds were ripped open with this girl nearby. How could she be considered a friend?

The pain on Vanille's face was so evident it hurt Lightning to look. Her eyes were wet, her face red from embarrassment. She trembled as she stood, and her eyes could not focus on a single target.

Lighting began to walk away again, expecting the young girl to follow… but she didn't. Frustrated, Lighting turned to see her standing where she had been, but no longer did she stare sadly back at her.

An icy glare was directed across at Lighting. It was so full of hatred for a moment she felt as though a shard of ice had been pushed into her heart. Vanille had never looked at anyone like that, and she didn't think she was even capable.

"Lightning," she began, her voice a damaged whisper. "I hate you."

Lighting didn't know what to do. She was frozen to the spot. Never had she heard that from anyone, not even the soldiers she attacked, yet the words were so truthful, so damaging that she felt a pain she had never felt. It tore at her heart and she clutched it with a hand, trying to understand the feeling. She didn't even notice until it was too late that Vanille had run past her and was heading over the last slopes.

All Lighting could do was stare in shock, unable to decide what to do.

Adrenaline pumped through Lighting's veins as she raced down the path Vanille had taken. Or was it fear that drove her? She didn't know. She couldn't think. The strange injury she had sustained had left her unable to understand anything. It felt as though a frozen claw had dragged across her heart and it was bleeding out. Memories in her head were tweaked a she began to become accustomed to the pain, and with teary eyes she remembered where she had felt such a sensation before.

Her family.

That day she never spoke of.

The day that had shaped her into what she was.

She couldn't deny it anymore. She had been searching for someone to replace the empty space in her heart as a sister, or a brother, or a mother or father… and she had found it in Vanille. She had barely known her, yet already she had such an impact on her. The protection, the caring she had not felt for so long that burst out whenever the young girl was near… it all made sense.

'If only I had told her,' she thought dismally as she looked around for any sign of her friend, for that was what she was. There was no doubt about it. They would fight, they would attack each other, they would frustrate each other to no end… but that was normal, wasn't it?

'"Why am I so confused?" Lighting screamed out. She clutched her hands to her head and dug her nails into her scalp. "Why is this so hard?"

She didn't even see the end of the fields coming up, nor the small cliff that lay before the trail into the mountains. She stumbled over the edge half minded, only coming to her senses when she was falling. She hit the grassy floor below on her back so hard that all air was driven out of her and she was left gasping, staring up at the sky as hot tears ran down the sides of her face and disappeared into her hair.

The purpled rocks remained at the foot of the mountain range, mingling amongst the smaller grey rocks that eventually grew into the towering mountains. Small wooden signs were lined against a giant slab of stone that held the last of the greenery; small shrugs amongst browning trees and creepers that reached up the rocky wall behind it. The silver trail of stones led inside the garden of rocks and eventually disappeared around the narrow turns and lifts. The ground here was also uneven, and uninviting.

Once she was able to breathe and focus, Lighting pushed herself onto her side to take in the sight, then she began working herself to her feet. Her back ached, her arms protested, and her legs felt like they would nap at the knees. She couldn't ignore this. It would slow her, so she pulled out another potion and poured the liquid down her throat. She swallowed it in one, then threw the empty bottle to the ground to watch it explode into shards. They were like the ones in her heart, stabbing and slashing away, and she had to shake her head roughly to turn away from the mess.

Slowly and carefully as to break her legs back into walking she approached the signs and read the first and smallest.

_Leaving Parseillia Fields, entering Zerake Mountain Range_

Now there was a name to two more locations.

The next sign was a map showing Zerake Mountain Range. It was massive, and Lightning gasped, but behind the range was another forest labelled _Tal Forest _and in it was a small circular patch of grass surrounded by a thick wall of stone. This was labelled _Thor's Clearing._

Finally she knew where she was heading, but at that moment she didn't care. She read the next sign.

_Caution: This mountain range is home to many dangerous beasts that have taken hundreds of lives. Turn back or proceed with the utmost caution._

Lighting's hands trembled on the signs edge, but it wasn't fear from the warning. She was worried for Vanille. Rolling her eyes at the warning, she continued forward along the trail.

She had to find her, no matter how hard it would be.

She had to find Vanille.


	9. Lost in the Mountains

**Chapter Nine: Lost in the Mountains**

There were no sounds, only the echoes of Lightning's screaming voice strained from fear. Nothing moved except for the trees, the leaves tossing and turning in the wind as it blew against the panicking traveller now alone without her young friend.

The feeling that came with the realisation was too much for her to take.

With a defeated sigh she fell groggily into a flat rock at beside the mountain that rose next to her and leaned down until her head was hanging completely over the edge. She stared at the ground, her body depleted of energy from the tiring searching. Everything ached from bruises and cuts. She couldn't name a single part of her body that had not been damaged, and again she pushed herself up and forced herself to consume another potion. Only three remained, and she knew that Vanille may need them when she found her.

If she found her at all.

'She's strong,' she told herself, repeating what she had tried to convince herself of every hour before, but it was true. The girl knew what she was doing whenever they arrived in a new location because she had explored as a child… but had she come into Zerake Mountain Range? Lighting could not recall, and her mind protested as she tried.

With buckling knees she bent them back and pushed herself up, every joint cracking in the sudden movement after receiving rest. A constant stinging ran through her like an electric shock as she stood, but she ignored the pain and her hand headed for the pouch at her waist again, seeking another potion. Once this one was gone, there were only too left. She despaired, but at least she was feeling better. She had the strength to continue up the path, so she did, crying out Vanille's name to the wind.

Spires of stone, each thin and piercing stood around Lighting in a long line as though the remnants of a beasts ribs. She was atop one of the mountains that had become flat with a frozen trickle of water running past. It ran off the edge in a stiff waterfall and plummeted into a chasm below she had managed to avoid by climbing. Now she was coated in sticky sweat that made her feel feverish in the cold weather.

Still she continued.

Towering in front and casting a shallowing shadow across the cliff top was a wall of rock that curved around and joined to the next mass of rock. A path ran along the edge, but it was dangerously thin. Below was the lake in all its glory, the surface of ice glinting like snow made of crystals in the sunlight. Lighting stumbled to the edge of her cliff and stared down at the sight, hoping that maybe Vanille had stopped there for sightseeing, or perhaps to gather some ice for a drink.

Immediately Lightning's breath caught in her throat as she saw a bright red and pink mass beneath the surface, bobbing up and down gently against the icy top.

"Vanille!" she screamed out, throwing herself over the edge of the edge and forcing herself down. Her feet stumbled and slipped on the slope she descended, but she ignored all fear of this, only focusing on the shape in front of her that she identified all the better the closer she came.

Finally she leapt to the bottom of the slope in a flood of snow. It waved around her as it became caught in the wind from her sudden landing, but she was on her feet again and at the lake's edge in less than three seconds.

Scrambling fingers clawed at the ice, knees slipping across the surface. Lighting swore countless times as she struggled to reach Vanille, struggled to move across the lake. She had broken so many rules that the soldiers must follow; Check for enemies, take in your surroundings, be sure you have your weapon… It didn't matter to her at that moment, and as she thought on it for a moment she was shocked at further proof that the young girl just ahead of her, lying beneath the ice, was truly an important aspect to her life now.

The ice would not break, no matter how many times Lighting pounded on it. She cried out, scratched with her nails and sword. This left deep marks, but it was far too thick to be broken like this. Beneath Vanille was pale and unmoving, an empty shell, and Lighting knew in her heart that she was too late.

How quickly things could change. How easy mistakes were made. If only she had not said those things…

'Crack.' Her fist, fuelled by rage and desperation, cracked the ice. The fracture stretched out for many metres, the crackling sound making her tense. It would shatter beneath her like glass and she too would be lost, but she didn't care. She could still get the girl out, and at that moment that was what she wanted the most, more than anything. More than erasing her past, more than washing away the blood that stained her hands and sword, more than finding a happy life with peace.

The hard surface gave way and water engulfed her. Freezing water, attacking every area Lighting could feel. She gasped beneath the surface, releasing more of the air she needed so badly. Bubbles surrounded her, blocking her vision as she peered through throbbing eyes. She reached out with trembling hands until she could feel Vanille's hood brushing against the numbing fingers. She closed them clumsily, catching nothing but water, but a second attempt proved more accurate and she had her.

Heaving and hauling she pulled herself and the lifeless form of Vanille up to the surface, up to air, and collapsed onto her side against one of the shards of ice that floating around her. It was strong and stayed where it floated as though it were anchored down, so she pulled herself up, kicking madly with her feet , and dragged Vanille up after her.

Now to get her to the shore.

Lighting's movements were sluggish and slow, but she grasped Vanille tightly around the stomach and dragged her along the ice as she threw herself across each piece. She knew that it was damaging Vanille, but she was too weak from the freezing cold to carry her. She could barely even feel her there beneath her arm.

The last few jumps were the worst. She had to leap over metres long gaps as pieces of ice fell beneath the surface eof the lake. She could hear Vanille splashing into the water, disappearing and then submerging.

'Just keep going,' Lightning told herself again and again. 'Stopping will do more damage. Do not stop for a second.'

Snow. Beautiful, fluffy snow. Not consuming like the water, not unbreakable like the ice. It was bliss beneath Lightning's feet and she dragged Vanille though until she was metres away from the water. There Lightning released her and collapsed to her knees at her side. Tears were frozen to her face, tears of pain from the cold bitterness that had her shivering like a leaf in a storm, and also of the sadness that consumed her every time she looked down at the still form before her.

A death had not affected her like this since her childhood, since…

"No." She slammed a fist into the snow and it shook as she left it there, half embedded in the white. "You can't be gone. I-I only just…" She sniffed and lowered her head further. "You're my family now."

The worlds was cruel an unsympathetic. Cold wind blew across, drying the water that drenched Lighting and forcing it to ice. She bit her lip to taste and feel the warm blood, a desperate insulation, but she knew it was not enough. Again her hand was in her pouch, searching and feeling through the contents until it located the smooth oval surface of thin glass. The potion was gone in minutes, bringing movement and feeling back. The second warmed her from head to toe and restored all energy.

Then she lifted herself to a proper kneeling position and truly stared down at Vanille.

The girl was not breathing. That was evident. Her chest was still, and she didn't flinch even as Lightning slapped a hand to her face. Her skin was as cold as the lake, and almost as white as the snow. Panic clawed its way into lightning, but she had not given up yet.

Many courses had been taken when she was training to become a soldier, and saving lives was unexpectedly involved. If the chance arose, one must try to save a comrade, and it would prove to be a worthwhile lesson for Lightning. She remembered the steps, remembered the lectures, and got to work.

Her hands pressed down on Vanille's chest and she stared the compressions, counting softly to herself to distract herself from other thoughts and keep in time and rhythm. There was no movement from Vanille other than the small jerks each time Lightning pressed her hands against her ribs with sharp urgency. She had to get her heart beating again, that kind, golden heart that shaped her into what she was.

The next step was not as easy, but it had to be done. Lightning pulled her hands away and pinched Vanille's nose instead. She tilted her chin back, opening her mouth, and took a deep breath. It was her care for the girl, her view of her as a sister, that gave her the courage. She exchanged her breath with Vanille, saw her chest rising with the air… but she had to breathe on her own. She had to find life again.

Water exploded from her mouth and showered Lightning. She jumped back, caught of guard by the sudden burst of life and stared back, dumbfounded, as Vanille choked and spluttered. Her colour was already surging back, but only a light shade of pink, and she was clearly breathing on her own, but the water that surged out of her was like a flood.

Once she had come to her senses Lightning had the girl sitting up, supported in her embrace, and was thumping her in the back to help her rid her lungs of the water she had taken in. It took minutes for the fit to end, but once it did, Vanille spoke.

"I knew that you would find me."

Then she was gone, swallowed up by unconsciousness and fallen in Lightning's arms, her big sister figure and saviour once again.


	10. Hidden Safety

**Chapter Ten: Hidden Safety**

Water dripped form Vanille's still form as she floated over the ground, secured in Lightning's arms as she carried her effortless past icy trees and mounds of snow sprayed across the jagged walls of rock that led across the beginning of a towering mountain with a peak a black glassy point high above.

It was an odd feeling to Lightning, carrying the unconscious girl she had grown so close to so soon. She was already like her little sister, smiling from ear to ear at the sight of Lightning's ever-burning anger, her high laughter much like a child's, her kind and friendly heart that always an invitation to all into its golden depths.

She reminded her of someone very special to her long ago.

"Lightning?"

Those bright green eyes staring back, they portrayed her inner self and shone with innocence, but something in them had dimmed. Her 'accident' back at the lake had clearly impacted her more than Lightning had thought it could have, and she picked up the pace, her feet dragging heavily through the deep snow as she stressed her eyes searching through the snow for a safe haven of some sort.

"Lighting, where are we going?" Her voice was so soft, but strained. It brought a tear of Lighting's eyes.

"Somewhere safe," she answered with a smile that beamed with encouragement.

Vanille smiled back, a smile cracked and broken. "I'm cold though."

Gently, Lightning shifted her arms to hold the small form closer to herself. "Somewhere warm."

It seemed a non-existent place in this freezing terrain, shards of ice clinging to every surface possible, snow covered ground completely bare of dirt of grass, leafless trees standing frozen and completely still… There was no where safe, no where warm.

A rippling growl came from the wall. It echoed through the snow, carried away by the wind a second later. The sound had been savage, and hinted on something of the same description, so Lighting sped up more, careful not to drop the shivering bundle in her arms.

Again the sound came, and this time a shape came with it. It was a pitch black shadow in the snow, stalking across with slow, tired movements. A spiked head, helmeted as it seemed, lowered as it sniffed the air. Its body stilled, shuddered for a moment as it picked up the close sent… then it pounced like a cat, fast and deadly, but graceful like a wild dance.

Quicker than most humans could react, Lightning had her sword in her free hand, the other pressing Vanille to her body tightly, shaking from the strength she poured into it. Her attack, though awkward, was perfect and fluent. She swiped her sword through the air, the blade bending as she swivelled the handle and ending with the point tapping against the underside of her elbow.

Red splatters of blood hit the snow like paint on paper. The creature, a well muscled beast that resembled some sort of mountain cat, fur a deep crimson and covered with dark brown horns and plates, fell to her side in a twisting mess. It struggled against the snow, face ravaged by the sword. Lightning made its passing quick, falling to her knees and stabbing it through the neck. Her hand still clutched Vanille, but she slipped and fell to the snow.

Though the fall was less than a few inches, Lighting scooped her up carefully like she was handling a thin crystal sculpture. She turned away from the beast that had finally stilled completely, then hurried back along the path, faster than ever now. She broke into a full run as more growling sounded behind her, then the pattering of heavy paws against snow finally stopped her. She would not get away, so she had to fight.

Lowering Vanille to the ground lightly and clearing her mind just for a moment so she could finish what she had started, Lighting turned around to face three more of the wild creatures, each a hissing monster, stopping the sound only to let out throaty warning growls.

The first to leap forward was the least intelligent in Lighting's eyes. It left its two friends wide open for a combo, and she did not hesitate a single second. Her sword danced to the left, then she clutched it with both hands and brought the blade sailing across the creatures head. It slit through skin, flesh and bone, then she lifted it into the air and stabbed into the paw of her second beast. It yowled at the same time as the gentle thud of the first came as it fell to the ground, and Lightning followed her que like a dance. She changed the sword into a gun, pulled it free from the damaged paw, and shot the second creature twice in the side. To avoid being trapped in the jaws of the almost pawless victim, she threw herself into the air and shot downwards into its skull. The bullet found the brain, ending its life quickly, then she landed and fired the second, which found its target, right in the heart of the remaining cat.

All three bodies were quickly motionless, but she did not stay to observe her damage. Vanille had been coated with a thin layer of snow despite the quick job, and she had already been so cold. Lighting rushed over, pulled her back into her arms, then rushed through the now again, this time more desperate than ever to find a place for them to stay.

She hated the disruption, and found that it was the first battle she had not enjoyed. It shocked her, made her feel not like herself, but staring down at the girl in her arms she thought that maybe it was better if she lost herself. Vanille lost her temper because of her being who she was, and as a result she had ended up temporarily dead.

Dead. Such a simple but powerful word. It sounded dark, and she repeated it in her head over and over again. Never before had she felt the true weight of it, yet she delivered it almost every day. How confusing things were turning out to be.

There it was, someplace they could rest and escape the weather. A thin gap between two tall pieces of stone that made the wall was like a shining beacon of safety for Lightning. She hurried towards it with a smile brimming on the surface of her face. She glanced down at Vanille to see that she was drifting in the void between consciousness and unconsciousness.

"Don't worry Vanille. We're almost there."

The cave was safe. No enemies were inside the small circular space, and there was barely any ice or snow. The floor was a dark grey along with the walls, but the ceiling had a crack that rose to the top of the wall, revealing the sky and leaving a faint patch of light on the floor.

Once safe and secure inside, Lighting lowered Vanille to the floor of the cave and sat herself down beside the pale form. She began to shake her lightly by the shoulder, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Wh-where? Lightning?" the young girl murmured as she stared blankly around at the surroundings.

"I'm here," Lightning responded simply. "Are you still cold?"

A shiver racked Vanille's body like a spasm. "Very."

"Hold on."

Fires for Lightning were not hard to start, and she had one roaring in only minutes, using pieces of broken branch from just outside their little haven and smacking stones together to bring flames to the pile of wood.

The feeling of warmth beckoned Vanille up to the source without needing any assistance. She held her hands near the flickering flames and stared at the reds and oranges as they danced. The heat brought back her colour and dried her clothes as it filled the cave, and Lightning was finally satisfied that she was out of danger. That left her open to concentrate on her own pains, and she was surprised at how much her body ached. As though the barrier that held back the pain inside broke free, it poured in like a sea, flooding her and causing a tear to slip secretly down her face. Her hand brushed it away and she laid herself down on her back, letting out a small gasp as almost every muscle in her body reacted to the movement.

Vanille had noticed. "What happened to you? Why are you hurting so badly?"

A small laugh broke free from Lightning as she screwed up her face in pain. "Just the cold," she answered simply, remembering the freezing waters from the lake swallowing her up. Yes, that must be the cause for the severity of the pain.

"It must be pretty cold out there," Vanille pointed out as she gave Lightning a disbelieving look. "Someone like you has a body that does not wear down like that. Tell me what the real cause is."

Lightning knew that she could not avoid telling her young companion what had happened, but she did not want to come straight out with the details of the event. "Do you not remember?" she asked instead.

There was silence for a moment as Vanille thought. She pressed to fingers against her temple as though searching for a pulse, and her eyes shot to Lighting as she remembered some part of what was truly a confusing haze in her mind.

"Water," she said simply and somewhat groggily. "There was water, and ice. I was… falling."

"There you go," Lightning said, closing her eyes and willing the conversation to end. "I'm sure you can figure out the rest, can't you?"

"Not on my own. Please, just tell me. My head hurts whenever I try to remember."

Sighing, Lightning pulled herself up to face Vanille. Her eyes were sorrowful, that she could not hide, but she kept her face stoic. "Vanille, you were under the water for a long time, and you swallowed a lot…" She trailed off.

Something inside of Vanille seemed to click as the next piece of the puzzle was set in place, but she was still unsure.

Lightning finished the explanation. "I broke the ice, dove in, and pulled you out. Then it was just a matter of bringing you back." She finished by lying back on the stony floor, letting out another sigh of agony that she kept as quiet as possible.

"You could have died… just to save me."

Lighting shrugged. She was not ready to discuss the reason yet. Not just yet.

Seeing that she would get no more out of the woman, Vanille simply stared back at the fire, refusing to look away. She refused to lie back like the Lightning beside her. She doubted she would be able to find sleep, and so did her silent companion.

An hour passed until Lightning's body had become numb to the pain and she sat herself up rather comfortably. Vanille on the other hand had not moved an inch, but her stomach was growling every second.

Food was brought straight out of Lightning's larger pouch. Fruit, some nuts from Ritrador Village, and a piece of meat wrapped up. The pair dove in, but still ate carefully, and the bottle of water was only drunk down by a quarter.

"There are usually some merchants in safer areas of Zerake Mountain Range," Vanille explained absent minded as she turned to face Lightning for the first time in a long while that afternoon. A hidden question lingered on her lips.

"What?" the woman asked in an irritated tone. She didn't like to be asked silent questions.

"Why did you save me?"

"Not now, Vanille."

"Why not?"

"Because I need to rest." Lightning's voice was calm, but she had a hint that told Vanille to go no further on the subject.

"Fine, but… how did you bring me back?"

The question surprised Lightening for a moment, but as she thought about it she realised she could understand the curiosity. She was known to take lives, not save them.

"CPR," she answered simply, taking another bite from the meat before wrapping up the remaining piece. "You know, resuscitation."

"I know what it is," Vanille said with a glower. "Just because I'm not from Cocoon doesn't mean I'm stupid."

"I'm not saying your stupid. I just wasn't sure if you knew much about that sort of thing."

"I know, but, why exactly would you know how to perform it if…" She paused, refusing to finish the sentence.

Lightening smiled and finished it for her. "If I kill so many people? Simple. I can't kill my own soldiers, so I have to try and save them if the opportunity arises."

There was an odd expression on Vanille's face that Lightning had not seen before. She seemed to be holding back vomit and laughter at the same time, and she realised why a moment later.

"Yes, I did mouth-to-mouth."

The laughter exploded out of Vanille and she ended up on her back, carrying on like a five year old. Tears welled up in her eyes and she struggled to return to herself for many moments.

"Enlighten me on the humour of this," Lightning demanded lightly as she stared down at the wriggling form.

"Its just-it's just, I can't picture you forcing yourself to do something like that!" Vanille gasped as she forced herself back up so she could concentrate back on Lightning.

The woman was still not laughing, but to lighten the mood on her behalf she smiled a little. "Well, it had to be done."

The humour had finally fled Vanille, and she saw the seriousness. "Yeah, I guess your right," she admitted, staring down at the ground. "And after I yelled at you and ran away…"

Lightning rose a hand to stop her from continuing. "No, don't regret what you said. You were right to be mad. I should not have been treating you the way I did. I'm sorry, Vanille. I should be apologising."

Vanille knew that she could not change the mind of her companion, so she simply lowered her head and said, "Well, thank you for saving my life."

This was dismissed, but Lightning had a question this time. "What exactly happened? I mean, did you go for a swim in the frozen lake for fun or something?"

Another grin appeared on the youth's face at the absurd reason. "No, I wasn't really in the 'lets jump in a frozen lake for fun' mood," she explained in a humoured voice, but her eyes narrowed as she began trying to remember again. "I was walking along the ridge high above, trying to clear my head and not think about what I had said to you." Her eyes flicked up apologetically. "Some of the rock began to crumble beneath my feet. I think there was a beast below, throwing itself against the rocky wall. I ran back, but it was too late. The floor beneath my feet fell out and I tumbled after until I fell into the lake. The force of the ice breaking beneath my back and head left me too dazed to move, and then… there was just nothing."

There was a moment of anger in Lightning as she thought of the beast that had been responsible for Vanille's death. She bit her tongue and stared at the girl, observing her, watching her movements.

Vanille's hand shook at her sides, but she had not complained of still being cold. There was a dullness to her eyes and her face now, and every inch of her skin that was visible was pale. She looked like a ghost, and Lightning knew that she had not fully recovered.

"You look awful," she pointed out as kindly as possible.

"Thanks," Vanille replied, her eyes half shutting.

Lightning sat up properly and shook her head. "Look, you can barely even stay awake. Lay down and get some sleep. I can keep watch for the night."

"The entire night?" Vanille asked with a raised eyebrow. "No one can do that."

"I can," Lightning assured her simply. "Now get some rest,"

The second order was enough. Vanille curled up on the ground, closed her eyes, and after only a few moments she was breathing slowly and calmly as she was taken from the real world into sleep.

This left Lightning alone to deal with her own throbbing mind. It ached from the memory of losing Vanille. She had failed to protect her, and she had paid dearly. It was lucky she was breathing at that moment. She was also worried at the curiosity Vanille had that seemed to be growing. She wanted answers, that was clear, but Lightning did not want to give them. As much as she cared about the girl, as much as she trusted and wished to take care of her, she did not want to reveal her past or her inner self. They were the darkest things to her, pure demons hiding in the shadows and striking as they had when Vanille had run away. There was also, and lastly, the matter of Thor's Clearing, and the mysterious man who had told her to seek him out there. What awaited her and Vanille? Death? A trap? Perhaps he knew of the soldiers after her and was with the government. So many possibilities, and she had no control over any of it.

With a heavy sigh she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her knees. It was beginning to grow colder as the night truly set in, but she did it for comfort along with warmth.

It was a sudden scratching sound that brought her to her feet. Claws across stone, she knew it. Her old life at Cocoon had taught her how to recognise many things with each sense, so her ears were trained to the sound. There was only silence now. The scratching had ceased, but she still stood, hand on hilt and eyes wide and staring. She could make something out in the snow and the darkness. A blurry shape of something tall with heavy arms and stubby feet. Long claws hung down from the limbs and scratched across the snow, and as it appeared in the light of the fire, standing in the entrance to their safe little cave.

So much for safe.

The creature looked like a mangled tree figure, black branches with thick blue leaves swirling around the brown flesh. Deep hollows took the place of eyes on its face, and a slit for a mouth seemed to smirk as its claws dragged across stone now. Its feet were nothing but short trunks with too many disjointed toes pulling it along the ground towards Lightning.

"What… the… fuck…" Lightning managed to gasp as she took a step back form the creature, standing in front of Vanille. She had not seen anything like this before in her life. The cat and wolf creatures she had faced were nothing surprising as they had cats and dogs in Cocoon, but the sight of this _thing_ was no more than a nightmare for her, and she refused to believe that reality could creature such a monstrosity.

Her deep thinking had left her wide open, and though she reacted as fast as she could, the claws still found her shoulder. It tore into her flesh and dragged along her collar bone. Blood trailed after the steel that felt as though it were on fire, and Lightning was thrown backwards. She hit the ground hard on her side, her head connecting with the stone and throbbing harder than before. She felt around her skull to see if it was bleeding, but the only sickly liquid that shone a brighter shade of red was coming from her shoulder.

Again the beast attacked, throwing itself forward at Lightning, but now she was alert and ready. She kicked her feet around and threw herself up into a run, jerked her weapon free, and slid to a stop to turn and face her enemy. Its eyeless sockets stared at her, bored into her own eyes, but her blade shipped upwards and clit it along the chin up to its forehead. It moaned out and stepped back blindly and she aimed a kick at its bare chest, knocking free some of the leaves. She was not finished yet though. With a savage yell she dove forward, flipped in the air, and stabbed the beast in the shoulder for payback. It moaned out again, then gripped her by the back with fingers she had not yet seen. They were strong, and she found herself unable to move. One of the fingers was pressed into her spine and she was paralysed as she hung uselessly from the grasp.

'Thwack.'

A stone. It travelled so fast through the air it was detectable only to Lightning's trained eye. The aim was true, even expert, and it hit the monster between the eyes with such a force it released Lightning and she clattered to the floor.

Again a stone was thrown and it became stuck in the beasts head. The end had been pointed, and the force had been massive. Flecks of wood exploded from the wound like blood and it began grasping desperately to pull the stone out. Of course, its claws only did more damage, racking against the branched until it tore into its own head. The moans turned into wild screams until finally it collapsed onto its side and remained completely still.

"Treeman," Vanille gasped in a quiet voice from behind Lightning as she stared wide eyes at the dead body. "The-they're quick and strong, but n-not too clever."

Lightning turned to face her, and saw how deathly she looked. It was as though she were about to faint, about to collapse into oblivion, and Lightning was straight at her side as she tried to rise.

"No, lay down!" she demanded, trying to push her down.

"But, your shoulder."

The pain had been completely forgotten to Lightning as she saw Vanille's danger, but now she was reminded and she released her grip with that hand, letting it drop as the rips in her flesh pained her terribly.

"It-its fine," she said somewhat unconvincingly.

Vanille shook her head and tried to examine the wound, but her head spun and she fell back. Her head hit the stone lightly, but she was so tired and desperate for sleep that she could not keep her eyes open any more.

Again with her companion resting, Lightning concentrated on herself and started dressing the wound. They had some bandages, and it stopped the bleeding, but potions would be needed. She only hoped that Vanille had been right and there were merchants in these mountains.

Her mind returned to the attacks Vanille had unleashed on the 'Treeman'. Her aiming was superb, maybe even better than her own, and her arms held some strength to thrown with such force. She had always seemed defenceless, yet she could defeat such an enemy with only rocks, the unnoticed and useless parts of nature. She carried no weapon, she used no force other than what had just been seen, and as Lightning pondered all of this… she gained an idea.

It was late in the night until Lightning had completed her project. A long piece of bending wood, deep brown and bent with beautifully curved ends and a strong length of string tied to both. Beside it was a green quiver, made from the thickest leaves in the area that she could find that she had stitched together. A long thin strap, black with stitched in swirling designs that were a lighter shade of black, hung down and curved like a snake on the floor. In the quiver were twenty arrows, each with red feathers at the end and light brown wood for the rest of the design. Stone points were connected at the ends, sharp enough to pierce through the source she had gathered them from.

She sat back and stared at her work, smiling with pride. Finally, Vanille had her first weapon. A bow and arrow set, and now she could assist in battle, but Lightning had a feeling that getting the girl confident enough to accept would be the real challenge.


	11. Gift of Battle

**Chapter Eleven: The Gift of Battle**

Sunlight poured in through the cave opening, spilling onto the ground and clawing its way towards the two girls as they slept. Floating orbs pierced through the light, shadows of the snow that fel gently outside. It was not a storm anymore, but a calm snow shower.

Sleep released Lightning first. She opened her eyes and they immediately focused on the small form beside her, her face so close that they were almost touching. She gasped and sat up so quickly her head pounded in time with her heart for a moment. Vanille must have shifted closer during her sleep once the temperature had reached its lowest.

Lightning glanced over her shoulder to see the bow lying on the ground, the smooth wood shining in the light of the new day. She had done a good job, she had to admit it. It was beautiful, but there was a roughness to it. She frowned as she noticed. Perhaps it was because of the worry she had been feeling inside, or maybe it was just her personality coming out in her work. She didn't like that idea. How many other mistakes would she make because of the person life had made her into?

Her thoughts began to frustrate her to the point where she needed something creative to do in order to release these feelings, so she snatched up the weapon and headed out into the wilderness outside.

Tiny flakes of snow sprinkled down onto her, dotting her shoulders and hair. She freed the snow with a flick of her head and concentrated on finding something that she could shoot. Anything that moved would be her target.

The first sign of disruption in the perfect morning scene came a moment later just over a small mound of snow that led to a short steep slope. Snow had sprung up as something slipped down the slant in the earth, and Lightning was immediately crouching at the edge of the small snow hill, peering over the edge carefully to see what she hunter.

It was a small critter with a long swishing tail and dirty brown fur covered with patches of white. A small snout dug into the snow and flicked back up every minute as its beady eyes scanned the area constantly. It was clearly no predator, but its short stubble feet surely would not allow it a chance of escape if a hunter did come along.

"Oh well, your loss," Lightning muttered as she set an arrow into the bow. Her shoulder brushed against the snow, the cold seeping into her wounds. She clenched her teeth, expecting severe pain, but there was only a little sting. The night before it had been numb, allowing her to create the weapon she held in her hands, and she had blamed it on the cold and lack of energy, but it still caused her barely any irritation. She glanced at the wound too see that the bandages still held well, only a few patches of blood visible. She smiled and tapped it with a finger. She didn't even need to flinch.

Hunting would be an easy part of the day.

By the time Lightning had returned to the cave, Vanille had awoken. She sat, her arms around her knees and her eyes staring. Clearly she had been frightened out of her mind, and Lightning was immediately at her side, dropping her handful of slain critters to the floor beside the dying remnants of the fire.

"Vanille? What happened?"

Her emerald eyes glared into Lightning's as she released her knees and pushed herself forward to try and frighten the woman. She didn't even budge, but Vanille spoke. "You left, that's what happened!"

Lightning sighed and pulled the bow form her back, setting it to the ground. She had not even thought about the consequences of leaving the girl. She had not thought she would leave the area, but after taking the life of the first creature, she entered a frenzy. The sight of the blood, the feeling of power. She had not been free to kill weaker enemies mercilessly for a long time, and though she had not had the heat of battle burning in her, she enjoyed being the ruler when the occasion revealed itself to her.

Vanille seemed to understand just by looking into her eyes. She lowered her gaze and sighed deeply. "I saw it in the dreams I used to have of you. You enjoy going wild, hunting prey and killing without stopping." The tears she held back flowed freely in her voice.

This stung Lightning and she sat back on her hands, staring back at the young girl. "Vanille, I can't change who I am any more than I already have. You may not have noticed, but I am no longer as heartless as I once was… and it's because of you."

"You sound upset."

"I'm… not sure. Maybe this is a good thing, but…"

Lighting shied away as her past began to unravel in her thoughts and surface. She still did not want to tell the girl, but now she would not stop. She knew that she was close.

"Something happened to you, didn't it?" Vanille asked, shuffling closer to Lightning. "I know it did, but you won't tell me."

Gritting her teeth, Lightning changed the subject and lifted the bow quiver of arrows from the ground beside her. "I made these for you last night," she said, finally smiling as she handed them over to Vanille.

At first, delight dispelled the irritation and curiosity on Vanille's face, but then she looked disgusted. Lifting one of the arrows she said, "You could have at least washed them free of the blood before you gave them to me."

Lightning smiled. "Well, that's your fault. You woke up before I had the chance."

Shrugging, Vanille studied the weapon more carefully, a series of grins breaking across her face as she explored every part of the wood. "Lightning its beautiful… but I don't think I can use it."

"Why not?"

Vanille bit her lip. "I don't fight. I can't. I haven't ever hunted an animal and killed it, I haven't ever fought a proper fight-"

At this, Lightning rose a hand that demanded silence. "Vanille, last night you killed that creature with a _rock_. Never have I seen such expert aiming skills or a strong throw before. You have talent, whether you like it or not."

Vanille tried to shrug again, but failed. She lowered her head further and whispered, "But I don't know if I can kill again."

Seeing her pain, Lightning pulled herself forward and cupped Vanille's chin in her hand. She lifted her head to see her face and smiled. "Vanille, don't ever doubt yourself like that. You are strong and capable. You aren't weak, and I know that's what you think. I think you can do this, and the enemies we are going to face will be powerful. Survival will demand fighting, so you must do this… Do it for me, if you can't do it for yourself. Prove to me that you can do this."

The words were golden to Vanille, and she knew she would not forget them. She beamed up at Lightning and nodded her head. "Thank you, Lightning. I won't forget that."

Lightning tended to the fire almost immediately, shying away from a heart to heart talk. Though she cared for the girl dearly already and was willing to help her as much as she could, she was still Lightning, and she did not sit well in those sorts of talks. She hated to feel vulnerable, weak… She would rather be beating one of the government's soldiers at that moment, rather than having Vanille's eyes on her back, waiting for her to continue the talk.

After a few moments Lightning had their meat cooking on the fire and Vanille realised that she was not coming back to say more, but she had happy. What the woman had said had helped her tremendously. She had been afraid that she did not really mean that much to Lightning, that she was only kind to her because she knew that she needed to stay with her to live… but she had proved her care, and she was grateful.

"Lightning?" she said as the older woman prepared the food.

"Yeah?"

A small smile spread across Vanille's face as she ran her hand along the wood of the bow. "Don't leaves me like that again, okay?"

From the fire Lightning grinned into its embers. "Okay."

"Time to teach you how to use that bow, Vanille."

It was well after breakfast when Lighting abruptly decided that they should get some training in beside the mountains. They had time, she continued to remind the girl as she fretted about the delay on their journey.

"But we have to find Thor's Clearing," Vanille protested, pointing ahead into the mountains that began at the end of the small snow field they were in.

Lighting shook her head. "Vanille, we are not stepping foot into those mountains until you can fight properly. The government could be here any moment, and I don't think I can fight off that many soldiers at once."

The sparkling emerald eyes flashed to the woman's shoulder. "Your shoulder… Is it hurting?"

Shaking her head, Lightning turned her arm so Vanille would not stare. She was panicking enough. "It's not causing me any discomfort whatsoever. I just don't think the government will take me lightly. They will send a army of soldiers." She glared down at the ground. How she hated the traitors, and how she longed to know the truth behind their sudden attack.

"Wait… last night you made me this bow," Vanille said suddenly, staring down at the weapon in her hands. "You were injured, and you still made it?"

"Stop stalling," Lightning shot, stalling herself from admitting the truth. "Now tell me why you are so worried about using that bow, or I want bother to consider your feelings any further."

Her companions eyes swept down to the snow covered floor and she did not utter a word.

That was what frightened Lightning.

"Vanille?" She stepped closer, lowered her head to peer into the girl's eyes hidden by her protective fringe of shocking red hair. Tears shone in her eyes and her lips trembled as she pressed them tightly together. The despair clear in her face was something all too familiar to Lightning and she found herself unable to avoid the memory of her own life tat brought the same feeling to her heart.

"Vanille, what is it. Please, tell me." She kept her voice calm, encouraging, and her hand reached out to lay against her shoulder, a soft touch to let her know that she was there for her and willing to listen and understand.

When Vanille spoke, her voice was shaken and disturbed as though each word was a shard of shattered glass. "I'm… afraid to kill."

The corners of Lightning's lips flicked up into a tiny smile. She couldn't help it, but the situation was so ironic it was amusingly startling. The girl had been sent to save her, but she was afraid to even fight. She was so innocent, so pure and emotional.

"That doesn't matter," Lightning said soothingly as she pat her on the shoulder before removing her hand. "I'm here to teach you how, and I will make it as easy for you as possible. I promise."

Vanille's head rose a little, hopeful. "You promise to take it easy on me?"

"I promise."

"And you won't make me kill anything?"

Lightning hesitated for a moment. "Not straight away, but eventually."

Finally satisfied, Vanille fixed her usual grin to her face. "Okay then, let's give this a try."

Her hint of enthusiasm did not last long.

Hands trembling on the wood, knuckles whiter than the snow, eyes wide with fear… Vanille was a mess, but fortunately Lightning was beside her the entire way through.

The girl's target was a tree that rose out of the ground only a few metres away. It's roots lashed out as though it had struggled during its death and the temperatures had frozen it during its torment. This, of course, did not help Vanille.

"It looks like an animal," she complained, her fifth already.

"Vanille, we have been standing here for five minutes, and already you have managed to point out every single little thing you can about this tree that disturbs you. Congratulations, you have described a tree better than anyone I have ever known."

"This is no time to joke!" Vanille yelled back, the bow moving in her hands as she jerked with anger. The arrow flicked up, and Lightning grasped it tightly, thrusting it back into place in her fingers.

"No, your right. This is the time to shoot something so we can at leats be confident that you can do that," Lightning said in frustration as she held the bow steady with her hands. "I don't understand how you managed to kill that beast last night without feeling any remorse, and now you can't even lodge an arrow into a tree."

"Last night was purely instinct, and I was out like a light before I could even properly realise what had happened. Thank you for reminding me!"

"Fair enough, but just pretend that this tree is about to kill us. Now… shoot!"

The arrow remained firmly in Vanille's fingers. She had her eyes closed and was biting deep into her lip, but she made no move.

"I didn't do it," she gasped.

"I noticed."

Slowly, Vanille opened her eyes again and peered at the tree. She took a few deep breaths, concentrated, breathed again, then closed her eyes.

"That's it, calm down, let your mind clear, then let that arrow fly."

She did it. The arrow sailed past the wood of the bow, tore through the air, clipped the side of the tree, and hit a pile of snow behind it.

Lightning stared at the damage that had been inflicted on nature, but she still smiled approvingly.

"See, you did it Vanille!" she said, patting her on the back and pulling her tightened hand away from the bow. It took some effort to unlatch her fingers, then she noticed that the girl was completely still. Her eyes weer firmly closed and she had not even taken a breath.

"Vanille," Lightning began, pulling the weapon away from the girl and stepping in front of her. "I really don't want to have to get you breathing again like at the lake."

As though sudden resurfacing, Vanille took in a lungful of air and opened her eyes again. She realised then that she had done it and a laugh escaped her.

"Lightning, I did it! I-"

The sudden stop in her voice and the paleness that swallowed all colour on her face caused Lightning to turn and follow her gaze.

Crimson blood was soaking in the snow, spreading across in a circular patch that grew with each second. There was a muffled growl, then the snow lifted to reveal a shaggy white-furred head. Yellow eyes gleamed, searching the area before drooping. It seemed to be some sort of snow beast, embedded in the white mass for protection, but its giant reddened jaws showed that it was a threat.

"Oh no," Lightning muttered, staring at the arrow wedge in its side. The animal was dead in seconds, its moans silenced and its desperate search for the attacker ceased.

There was a soft whimper from Vanille as she stared, but that was all. Her consciousness wavered for only a seconds before it was taken away and she fell forward towards the ground.

Those strong arms were back, grasping her tightly and holding her up.

"Whoa, easy there," Lightning gasped as she helped steadied Vanille. "It's alright. It was just an accident."

"I-I ki-killed it."

Lightning lowered the girl to the ground until she had her sitting in the snow. She took a seat beside her and stayed with her for a few minutes, not speaking, just being there physically to calm her down.

It worked. After a few minutes Vanille rose and walked slowly over to the beast to retrieve her arrows. Her eyes swept over the body, then rested on the blood. She swallowed, bent down, and tried to pull her arrow free. It wouldn't budge and tears fell down her face. A soft hand tightened around hers, and Lightning was at her side again, helping her jerk the arrow free.

"Thank you," Vanille muttered as she stared up at the woman. "I think I needed something like this to get me prepared. I mean, I don't think I'm so afraid anymore."

This was fantastic news for Lightning, but she simply grinned back at the girl and nodded her head. "I'm glad."

The sound came with no warning, and it was well attuned to Lightning's ears. As soon as the continuos 'thwacking' arrived she pulled her small companion and herself across the snow, her feet taring through the snow with little effort until she was finally back at the cave.

From the depths of darkness the pair peered out to see the helicopter looming above, its shadow swallowing up the world below relentlessly as it moved.

"What is it!?"

The outburst from her friend surprised Lightning, then she realised that this girl who covered her ears and glared down at the rock beneath her feet had never before seen or even heard a helicopter before.

"Its them," Lightning explained, turning to stare back at the machine as it scoured the area completely before turning. She had seen them, the pilots. Their eyes stared down at the landscape, not even daring to blink for they would know Lighting's stealth.

"The soldiers?" Vanille asked, staring back. "Is that like the machine that attacked me in Pulse?"

Shaking her head, Lightning found her sword in her hand without even remembering pulling it out. "No. They are using it for transport, and as an easier way to find me." Her gazed stalked the moving mechanical beast as it disappeared over the mountain tops. "They're in the mountains. No doubt dropping off some soldiers to track us down."

"Then what do we do?"

A wicked gleam possessed Lightning's eyes. "We go in there, and we fight through."


	12. Bloodstained Snow

**Chapter Twelve: Bloodstained Snow**

Following the helicopter was a harder task then Vanille had expected. Every time they became within three mountains of the flying machine, Lightning would push her back into a crevice and follow. Often they would wait for only a few minutes, but sometimes longer. They would emerge to see the helicopter lifting itself higher into the air and resuming its flight.

Snow had begun to fall lightly again, gathering in any gaps it could reach and coating the ground in a white sheet. It was a magical place in the winter, but the dread of the soldiers prowling through the valleys, climbing to the peaks, hunting with no pause… That destroyed the scene.

Finally, Vanille lost her temper when Lightning grasped her by the arm painfully hard and forced her to the ground behind a stone that jutted out from one of the towering mountains at its side.

"Can you be gentler?"

Lightning did not even look at her. She was staring from over the top of the stone, searching everything ahead as though she had laser vision in those irises. "Sorry," she muttered. "But would you rather walk straight into a trap?"

Vanille 'huffed' and started picking at the cracks that were in the stone, ravaged by age. "Well how long are we going to be doing this?" she asked.

"As long as it takes. The helicopter keeps s dropping off soldiers at certain points, and I don't want us seen." Lightning paused for a moment. "You do know what this means, right?"

There was a sigh from the young companion and she tapped a finger to the bow slung across her back. "Fighting?"

"That's right." Lightning was gone a moment later, running ahead as usual, but she only took a few racing leaps through the snow until she slowed and turned to beckon for Vanille to follow. It took only minutes and the friends were running together, heading into new dangers.

"Lightning!"

Gunshots ripped through the air, piercing through ice as it collided with an icicle sprouting form the earth amongst its fellow clear spires. That was where Lighting had landed after diving inches over the bullets. She had felt them ripple her shirt as they passed below, heard them sailing through the air, then all she was aware of was snow as it sprayed up in her face. She rolled across until she caught a glimpse of the nearest icy point, and she hid behind it. One near her shattered from the bullets, and she knew that her protection was feeble.

The soldiers were relentless. They fired away, releasing a torrent of arrows that immediately brought Lightning's icy protection to pitiful shards on the ground, but she was already on the move, rolling across the snow, then springing up to slam her foot into the face of the closest soldier.

Another projectile entered the area and embedded into the back of the second soldier. A cloud of blood exploded from the wound and he fell to his knees, letting out a pained grunt and scrambling for the gun that had flown out of his hands.

"Uh, uh , uh." A looming shadows crept over him, and he stared into the eyes of his killer, the woman he had been forced to target and destroy. She was relentless, and before his life was ended with a well aimed stab to the neck, was that she was graceful in her skill. Many would fall before her, he knew this. She was unstoppable.

There was silence. A gentle breeze collected snow let it sail on its wings before leaving it brushed up against the mountainsides that shielded the area. Lightning stood, blood dripping from her sword. She stared up into the towering rock before her, smiling at the red-haired girl as she jumped down into the snow.

"Good work," Lightning congratulated her. "But next time aim for the head, or maybe-" She cut herself off as she realised how pale her companion was.

"I attacked someone. I tried to _kill _someone…"

Lightning pat her on the shoulder and tightened the girl's grip on her bow. "You saved my life, and tried to stop someone from doing something terrible. I am not the enemy, but these men are. They have no hearts, they care for no one. They only enjoy killing."

This information seemed to suffice, for Vanille lifted her head and nodded softly. There were no tears this time, and she was smiling, even if it did look forced.

Men and woman alike fell at Lightning's feet, blood pooling around them and staining the snow crimson. It was an attractive scene to Lightning, even if it did provoke her old memories. She never stopped swinging, stabbing, screaming, flipping, and nor would she force herself to leave any of these soldiers alive.

She did not often take pity.

Always from above Vanille would fire arrows, beginning to grow used to the jerking fear of the blood exploding as the wooden projectiles struck flesh. Even the 'thwack' became a numb realisation to her and she started to load faster, making a new arrow airborne only seconds after the first. She was still not perfect though. Her aim was still off most of the time, merely because she was still scared of ending a life without Lightning's help.

She was not quiet ready to bare that yet.

They had encountered dozens of the hated enemy that scoured the mountains for Lightning, and she was unharmed apart from cuts and bruises that she had expected.

Unfortunately for the pair, Vanille had suffered a grave injury. She had yelled out as Lightning fought on below the ridge the girl hid on. Hearing the distressed call she turned swiftly to see Vanille falling down from the short height and landing in the snow with a gentle thump. Above, standing where she had once been, stood one of the soldiers, a bright smile on her face as she held up a bloody dagger that shone in the sunlight.

"Damn you!" Lightning cried out, running towards the fallen form of Vanille. She ignored the bullets around her that were swallowed up by the snow, ignored the angry shouts and taunts. She scooped up Vanille's bow and an arrow that lay at her side, aimed at the woman who had her dagger poised to throw, and released the arrow. It flew straight and true and struck the soldier in the chest, and she fell backwards, leaving a resounding crack echoing down.

Unsurprising, the soldiers behind her had not even stopped for a moment. They came at her with swords and guns, firing and slashing away. Lightning deflected every bullet and blocked every attack, her focus outstanding even when her friend was lying injured in the snow. She found openings in the defence of the soldiers and truck, embedding her sword in flesh, then ripping the blade through their bodies to behead the gunners so quickly that she didn't even see any of the heads fall.

Blood coated Vanille's left shoulder as she held her hand over it feebly. Tears streamed down the sides of her face and her feet dug into the snow as pain burned in her shoulder. The blade had gone through from the back, piercing through the shoulder blade and flesh as though she were no thicker than cardboard.

Lightning kneeled at her side and examined the wound, then seeing the frightening damage she sat the girl up gently and started binding it with the remaining bandage strips in her small pouch. During the entire treatment Vanille whimpered and trembled, but she fought back new tears and managed to stay conscious.

Once the wound was wrapped Lightning lifted the girl up carefully and shrugged her onto her shoulder. As she had remembered from the last time she had carried her, she was not heavy at all, and she carried her easily across the snow covered path.

"Vanille?" she repeated over and over again to make sure the girl was still answering. She would ask her questions like how she was enjoying her time travelling with her, or dig deeper into her past to try and get her to remember happy experiences.

She was quiet glad to hear that the girl was happy to travel with her and had a happy past life though her voice was weak as she spoke.

"You said that there was a merchant here in the mountains," Lightning reminded, searching relentlessly for someone, _anyone_, who would hold potions. Perhaps she could even find a travelling mage who would teach her how to heal. That would be handy during their trip, and welcomed greatly.

"Yeah," Vanille rasped, her hand clutching Lightning's jacket as she hung limply. "He is usually in the valley I've heard."

Lightning nodded and tried to ignore the worry. Her companion was losing a lot of blood and her consciousness was clearly wavering. She hoped that she would make it, and wished for the merchant to be there. She refused to let the girl die when she had become so important to her over the past days.

The valley was a beautiful place. Purple flowers rose from the grey icy ground and snow bordered the sides. The mountains grew away from the long semi-tunnel as though afraid, but spires of ice, long and thin, grew alongside the snow as though creating a wall to keep out the enemy.

Lightning was not concentrating on the gorgeous sight in front of her eyes. Her eyes scanned for the merchant, her hands itching for her sword at any sign of danger and were ready to catch Vanille if she slid off of her shoulder. She could feel the warm blood seeping into her clothes and running down her collarbone, but she could also feel her breathing, the gently pressure of her stomach and chest as she clung onto consciousness and life. The blood she would have lost was an amount Lightning did not wish to know.

"Are you tired?" The voice was weak and muffled as Vanille's face fell completely into Lightning's jacket. She glanced sideways to see her answer to the question.

Lightning shook her head. "Endurance training really pays off," she pointed out, but she froze as she realised that there was a man sitting beside one of the spires, staring up at the sky and fiddling with something in his hand.

A potion!

"There he is," Lightning said excitedly, moving towards him with more speed than she had possessed before. "Hey you!"

The man turned, his face suddenly stricken with fear. He leapt to his feet and started to back away.

Lightning bit back a nasty retort that would bring him to his knees in fear, but she decided that he would be ultimately saving the life of her little friend, so she kept calm and friendly. "Please, she needs help! We need potions, urgently!"

Seeing the condition of the bleeding girl hanging completely limp from Lightning's shoulder seemed to stop the man from moving back any further, and he instead approached.

"Do you have money?" he asked wearily.

Conveniently, Lightning had taken what coin she could from the soldiers she had killed, knowing that she would need it eventually.

"Yes, we have plenty," she said, finally finding herself close enough to note the mans tanned skin, his dark brown hair that clung to his head, his heavily belted jacket with pockets and little bags hanging off everywhere. "Will this suffice?"

One look at the money forced a smile onto the man's face. "Yes, yes! That is worth many. Sixty at least!"

"Magic as well. Do you have magic?"

A flicker of amusement passed the man's face. "Not many know of the mage orbs I carry with me, but I guess they only had to ask." He pulled out an array of brightly coloured round balls that he held out in his hands. "They are expensive, I must warb you."

Lightning added up the expenses and said, "Twenty potions and the curing magic, please!"

"Do you think you can learn it? Magic takes much energy, and I do not think you have that to spare. Not if you are travelling in these mountains."

A choked cough from Vanille stopped Lightning from getting into an argument with this rude man. She lowered the girl to the ground, snatched her potions from the man, and began pouring the first five, one at a time, down Vanille's throat. She ran her hand along her throat to help her swallow, and once she had finished the five Lightning held to her lips, her eyes blinked open and she smiled brightly at her companion.

A sigh of relief escaped Lightning as she saw that the bleeding had ceased and the wound was already almost completely closed. One more potion healed it completely, and she thanked the merchant for his sale.

Once she was well enough to talk, Vanille gripped Lightning tightly by the arm and pointed ahead towards the end of the valley.

"Lightning, this leads to Thor's Clearing!" she exclaimed.

This piqued the merchant's curiosity as he packed up his things. "You had best learn that magic before you step foot into there lady, because Thor's Clearing is said to hold a beast beneath its surface."

Staring down at the glowing white flames in the orb, Lightning concentrated with all of her might and lifted the orb to her forehead. The magic inside flowed into her mind and she saw it, clutched at it mentally. It was hard to grasp, hard to learn how to unleash its powers and she soon grew drained just by learning what to do with the magic… but then she had it completely, and sealed the knowledge of the small orb into her mind.

"Done," she said proudly as she threw the now flameless orb to the ground. It shattered and she pulled herself to her feet. "Now were safe to enter the clearing, and hopefully there will be no more mishaps," she added, glancing down at Vanille with a smile.

The gesture was returned from the now healthy girl, and they prepared their items for the area they would soon enter.


	13. Thor's Clearing

**Chapter Thirteen: Thor's Clearing**

"Thor's Clearing. Once, a long time ago, it was said that during one of the harshest storms in history swept through this mountain range. A mighty boom was heard, then a crack that resounded all across the land. The next morning travellers raced up here to see what had happened… and they found this."

Vanille spread her arms wide in the centre of the crater, signifying its size and magnificence. Lush green grass grey where there had been rocky path outside of the area, flakes of snow covering each green blade and leaving it a pale shade. Trees lines the edges carefully, some flowering with bright yellow flora that seemed a little dull in the shadows that fell from the cliff that grew behind them, stretching up for some metres to the point where the cliff ended abruptly above their heads.

"A lightning bolt had struck the top of this mountain and rvagd its way to this point that we stand on." Vanille tapped her toed to in the grass. "It took days for the flames to clear. Even the rain could not end it until then, and it was left as a tiny ash field. But as time passed-"

"It became something of pure beauty." The sudden voice that had cut in echoed around the clearing like water washing around the curved walls of a bowl.

"Who's there?" Lightning demanded as she tensed up her arms and spun around to find whoever had cut into the explanation.

There was a laugh, sharp like a knife. A shadow moved swiftly in the trees and Vanille immediately aimed an arrow in that direction. Leaves fell, then someone who was not such a stranger to Lightning.

Tias landed almost perfectly on his feet and stared odwn at the ground partially bent as he spoke. "Thor, the god of Lightning. I used to read storied of him when I was a little boy."

The arrow lodged at the ready in Vanille's bow trembled as she struggled to contain it. Lightning remembered that she had not met this man and lifted her hand to stop the attack.

"So this is your little companion I assume," Tias said, lifting his head and revealing a grin that was as threatening as the line of daggers at his side. The cloak of shadow that billowed around him flicked across to hide the set of weapons as though he commanded it to in silence, but even knowing that Lightning was now questioning his trustworthiness more than ever, the smile on his face only grew more sinister.

There were others in the clearing, Lightning was immediately aware of this as soon as she saw the sinister blades at the man's side. Her eyes flicked to the other trees, to the wide splits in the mountain face; anywhere they could be hiding.

Tias's eyes flicked up to meet Lightning's in a cold glare. "That look. You have figured it out, haven't you?"

Vanille took a step closer to Lightning, sensing that something wasn't right. "What is it?" she murmured in a small voice.

The stare shot to Vanille and she shuddered. "I brought some friends with me," he said with his smile again appearing on his lips. "Your friend here is very sharp."

It was a silent que well recognised by the ambush. From every tree men and woman in heavy armour and thick clothing jumped down from the trees, clutching swords, blades, and some simply holding their arms high or out in front of them with swirling colours of magic at their fingertips.

"Government scum," Lightning spat, her own weapon soaring into her hand with one simply fluent movement of her arm that was like breathing to her. Her mind settled into battle and she prepared to fight her way through the surprise attack. At her side, Vanille was trembling. She had not seen so many enemies yet, and Lightning swore to herself she would keep her safe no matter what.

All of the soldiers looked about the same: tall, muscular, menacing, heavily armed, well protected, and prepared. There was one apart from Tias, who did not belong, but Lightning recognised him faster than she had with Tias.

"Captain Krestor, fifth in ranking." She glared directly into his tiny black eyes, her gaze flowing down to sum up his black and silver bullet proof clothing tight around his bulging muscles, hit number of bright red and gold bands that lined his arms to show his significance, the short tuft of black hair resting on his wide head, the giant sword with a curved blade as thick as his massive arms resting in his hands. He truly was exactly what she remembered.

Tias was behind her now, and his voice made her jump, swerve around, pull Vanille close to her side, and point the tip of her blade in his direction.

"I am glad you have met," he said simply, nodding at the soldiers behind her with a flick of his head.

She turned to see the first wave of enemies, no doubt the least strongest or fastest. They were simply to test her, to show the others the way she fought.

She would not teach them anything of her abilities.

Almost by pure instinct Vanille let three fast arrows fly and watched as they hit each target in the chest, embedding in the ribs each time only inches from the heart. They were not perfect shots, but Lightning was proud and noted to congratulate the girl once they were out of the current situation.

Now it was her turn.

Basic moves were called for to avoid letting her secret be known. She ducked, rolled out of the way, and sliced her was through limb by limb. She avoided using lethal attacks, avoided showing her abilities to leap metres high and use acrobatics to avoid the more devastating attacks unleashed by the enemy.

Finally they were all dead at her feet and she raised her head to see Krestor and the other soldiers staring blankly. Clearly he had convinced them that she was like no other enemy they had ever faced and had probably told them of the skills he remembered her possessing.

"How very interesting," he said after a few moments, lifting a hand to scratch his chin whilst resting the other against his hip casually. "The wild seems to have tamed you."

A flicker of anger inside of Vanille appeared, then roared into an inferno. She didn't like these people, or the way this man in particular spoke. He was arrogant, and Tias was no better, leading them into this.

"Tamed?" she screamed, stepping forward away from Lightning. "She isn't some kind of animal!"

Krestor smiled at the emotions he had evoked. "She is no better than one."

Those very words forced Vanille to ready another arrow, but no sooner had her hand grasped one of the feathered ends poking out of the pack resting on her back had a bullet been fired. It his her square in the chest and with a yelp of pain and surprise she fell backwards heavily.

"Vanille!" Lightning collapsed to her side and laid her hands over the wound and blood pulsed out. Vanille's eyes were barely open, but through the tiny crack her emerald irises stayed focused on Lightning's own blue orbs.

"Now! Attack her!" Krestor had no heart and ordered his men and woman to fire as the sword wielders ran towards her.

The bullets sailed towards Lightning, lines of smoke billowing behind. She could hear them getting nearer as her senses exploded. Everything had slowed down. She could see Tias running at her, his face contorted with rage and the blade of his sword behind his head as he poised to strike. The soldiers running at her gripped their blades tightly in their hands and screamed out words they passed by too slowly for her to understand.

The first bullets missed her completely, then the next she had to slice through with her blade. She created a combo, bringing the blade to her side to slam it against Tias's with an explosion of sparks, then she kicked him firmly in the stomach and dodged away from a missile of fire.

The mages! How could she forget? And now she realised that they should not had been there. The government never called upon those blessed with natural abilities for magic. It was not sold in Cocoon, so why had they been hired?

Tias was enraged at the attack. "Don't run from me!" she heard him yell out, then he was upon her, slashing away at her like a butcher at meat. She blocked every attack, her arm jarring every time, but she danced away gracefully and gradually, dragging her blade through five people at a time. She had entered a frenzy at the sight of Vanille being shot, and her mind could not focus on the fact that she was not moving where she lay. She could not possibly be dead. What more did Lighting have if she was?

Before Lightning was even aware, Krestor had entered her small group of attackers and greeted her with a punch to her face. She was thrown back, flying through the air, but her feet slid on the ground and she flipped herself high into the air to focus on the enemy.

The gunners were positioned on the outside, firing up at her, and Krestor and Tias were in the mass of sword fighters and mages in the centre. Their cruel eyes glared up at her, then Tias did something she had expected the least.

He pointed a hand up towards her and a bolt of lightning roared down from the sky. She turned just in time to twist herself so it rushed past her side, but it had rattled her and she fell heavily on her knees.

As she raised a head, a bullet seared through her arm and a shard of ice erupted in front of her. Dazzled, she rolled out of the way and dashed to the side, flipping her sword into a gun and firing at everyone she could see.

At least twenty soldiers fell immediately, the rest guarding against her attack, and her second assault of firing brought down another group.

Unfortunately Tias was still full of energy and brought more bolts of electricity down behind her. They chased her like a wolf hunting prey, searing the ground as they reached for her. She cried out in distress as they grew closer but she fought on, shooting down the enemy as she raced across the grass.

The sound of another powerful gun firing caught her attention, for it was not one of the guns she could hear throughout the attackers. Angrily she raised her head to see who else wanted to fill her with bullets, but she was surprised to see the owner of the gun firing instead at the governments soldiers instead of her. He brought down at least thirty soldiers at a time, and she decided to turn back to Vanille whilst he fought against the group.

Vanille was barely breathing as Lightning returned to her, but before she could try and treat her, Tias was standing directly behind her, his sword raised and ready to wedge through her.

With desperate speed Lightning flung herself around, punched hmn in the ribs, instantly breaking three, uppercutting him in the jaw, turning and elbowing him in the nose, then slashing him across the chest with her sword.

With a yell the mage fell backwards and stumbled to his knees. Blood dripped down his hand as he pressed it to his bleeding torso and he glared up at her with such rage she could almost feel it radiating from his, then his cloak wrapped around him and he was gone like before, not even leaving a trace.

The mysterious man who had joined the battle had brought down almost all of the soldiers. Only some remnants remained, staying close to Krestor as he fired back at the new ally of Lightning's it seemed. He was relelntless with his attacks, never lifting a finger from his trigger as he leapt all over the place, sliding under bullets, knocking enemies aside with his giant fist or foot, and always staying completely focused. His eyes were full of rage, and every now and then Lightning would see them flick over to her to make sure she was okay.

A wave of blood soaking her hand brought Lightning back to realisation, and she pressed down harder upon the wound in Vanille's chest. She could feel her head beating weakly and could feel it rise and fall gently with each breath.

"Vanille?" she gasped, seeing her eyes flicker, but they didn't open. Knowing that she had to heal her as soon as possible, Lightning conjured up the power inside, searching through her pulsing mind until she located the new power. She drew it out, forced it to run through her arms, and it burst form her hands in a bright light. She kept them laid firmly on the wound and smiled as it began to close up. She could feel the flesh stitching back together beneath her hands, and then Vanille's eyes flickered.

"What? What happened?" Her voice was a murmur, and Lightning shushed her.

"Let me help you walk. I need to visit an old enemy for a moment, and thank a new ally."

The man had his gun pressed to the back of Krestor's head as thr angry man babbled on.

"You will pay for this boy, mark my words. How dare you turn your back on the government! And for what? This bit-"

The man smacked his gun against Krestor's head with a resounding 'thwack'.

"Hello Krestor."

He jerked his head to the side to see Lightning glaring down at his pathetic form.

"I want some answers. First, why have you gathered mages to fight?"

Krestor laughed out loud. "You didn't think we would just send our average soldiers after you, did you? We needed magic to take you down, and that wasn't even en-"

"Second, who was that man Tias?" she interrupted.

"He came to us when we let Cocoon know that we were searching for mages. He didn't tell us where he came form or anything, but we needed him desperately, for as you saw he is a powerful asset."

Lighting searched her mind for more questions, but decided that the only ones that remained would only be answered with information about the government's plans, and she knew that Krestor would not answer.

"Have you heard enough?" the man asked in a surprisingly friendly voice. He was a large man, very well muscled with a blue robe and black undershirt tat complimented his body. He wore a blue sash around his waist and baggy government pants. A mess of blonde hair laid across hie face from beneath a black beanie and his eyes were blue like ice.

Lightning nodded simply, turning her gaze away from him. "Yeah, that's enough. Kill him, or he will send word to the other captains, and then the leader of the bunch."

The gunshot was instant. Krestor slumped forward into the grass and fell still, blood seeping around his head.

The man blew smoke from his gun then placed it in a gun-holder at his side. Before he could react Lightning had her own gun pressed to his chest.

"Tell me who you are."

His eyes stared into hers, then down to Vanille who looked as though she didn't know weather to shy away or stand her ground. He smiled kindly at her, then returned the gesture to Lightning.

"My name is Snow, and I am here to help you."


	14. A New Ally

**Chapter Fourteen: A New Ally**

_**Authors Note: Okay, so Snow has arrived, and I understand that some of you are worried about him getting in the way of the friendship between Lightning and Vanille that you all seem to enjoy **__****__** Don't worry, he will only come in every few chapters as a helper. He is not travelling with them, but when he leaves he WILL be back, so don't worry. I just thought that this story should be kept with the two heroines as the mains, but who knows, maybe another female is on the way?**_

_**Let me know what you think of that idea.**_

Snow was a soldier, there was nothing that could deny that, and as soon as he proposed to offer his help, Lightning had the point of her blade to his throat, demanding to know why she should trust one from the government.

"Yes, I am a soldier from the government," he began in his defence, "But after hearing of the mad hunt they were conducting to kill a former soldier who could not be blamed for her actions… I didn't want to be a part of that."

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "Why would you care so much?"

He looked hurt. "Lightning… don't you remember? Please, think back and tell me about your old life. Try and remember."

The ask from this mysterious man caught Lightning off guard, but she closed her eyes and wandered back through her thought, only to find… nothing.

The silence was answer enough for Snow. "You can't remember, can you?" He lowered his head. "Then you don't remember me, or… what you did."

This time the sharpened tip was pressing against his skin, drawing blood. "Then tell me what I should remember! Tell me why the only thing I _can _remember is the most terrible mistake I have ever made!" Tears were in her eyes, and Vanille clutched her hand, trying to calm her down.

"Lightning, what's wrong?"

Snow sighed and shook his head. "So you remember that, but do you remember why? Do you know why…"

Lightning lifted her head and sniffed away more tears, finishing the sentence for him. "Why I killed my family."

Vanille almost collapsed to her knees. How could she do something like that? The missing piece that was the key to her silent way and despair. A murder so bloody plagued her, and she had shouldered it their entire journey with the government on her back.

Somehow, Vanille was not afraid of her.

"It was not your fault." Snow clasped a hand on her shoulder and she didn't move. "You were the strongest of all the soldiers, even our leaders knew that, but they would not admit it to you or the head leader. You couldn't control this power, and one day in the battle field, protecting your family, you fell into a… frenzy, of sorts… You killed everyone there, including your family."  
The tears flowed again as though the barrier that held them back had failed like it had before so many times. "My mother, father," she paused and smiled down at Vanille, running a thumb along her hand that still held hers. "And my little sister… Vanille, you remind me of her so much. You don't know what that means to me."

Despite the small wound on his chest, Snow smiled at the sight. "They said that the attack might have had an affect on your memory, but there was no time to check. The head leader, Frairell Brixe, or Brixe as we all call him, thought you a great threat, and started a hunt immediately. You were forced to flee, and I guess you two found each other."

For the first time Vanille managed to explain her own part. She told him of her true identity, of her dreams, her duty to save Lightning, and their journey together.

By the time this story had been finished it was nearly evening and rain was falling lightly upon them.

"Well, you two are certainly as close as sisters," Snow said after hearing an embarrassed Lightning admit it again once she was in her normal mood.

She shrugged, but still had not released the hand of the young girl beside her, frightened that if she did she was run from the woman that killed her family, but after a few moments Vanille pulled her hand away gently, and she did not run.

Instead, the youth yawned. "Maybe we should camp here for the night. You can tell us about what Lightning has forgotten Snow."

So the many stories began as they sat around a roaring fire in the centre of Thor's Clearing.

Apparently Lightning had been one of the captains, and she led many, including Snow. He had looked up to her greatly, inspired by her words, her courage, and her strength.

"Was she still as stubborn and rough as she is now?" Vanille asked, shifting far to the side as Lightning shot a playful glare at her.

Snow laughed out loud. "She was worse! I tried to talk to her a number of times to learn more from her, and she would turn around and tell me to get back to training. At the end of the back breaking session she would give me extra work to do for asking her questions!"

Snow was not the only one to suffer her wrath. She soon had her entire team afraid of her, but they respected her nonetheless, and followed her into any battle. The other captains would challenge her to see who was the best, mainly because she was the only woman amongst them, and she would take up the challenge and beat them all. They would then whimper at her approach and sink into the shadows.

Eventually she allowed Snow to finally speak to her one session, and shared her words with him well into the evening once everyone else had left. She learned about him as he learned about her, then allowed him to accompany her home like a child in school after learning that he was an orphan and had no where in particular to go.

"Your parent's thought we were… involved," he said, laughing out loud. "Now _that _is quiet a thought."

Lightning snorted. "It took me all night to convince my sister that you were not my boyfriend, and in the end I had to threaten her to quieten her."

Snow laughed again, a bellowing sound that echoed throughout the bowel. "Just like you, but… why exactly did you actually let me speak with you without hours more of labour?"

Her answer was swift and easy. "I wanted to put an end to your pathetic attempts as conversation."

It was not all laughter. The power Lightning held began to come to the surface in her throughout her years in the government military force, and everyone became aware. She killed enemies relentlessly, burning blue flames appearing at her fingertips and exploding into an inferno before them. They fell before her in waves, and Brixe began to feel that she was growing unsafe. His hatred and fear towards her began to grow from an early stage, and she was soon shunned by many of the other leaders and commanders.

By this point Vanille had curled up on the grass and was fast asleep. Without even thinking, Lightning pulled a rug from her bag and laid it over the cold figure before retuning to the conversation with Snow.

"The attack was from a nearby village that grew frightened of our growing forces, and they came as hundreds standing strong. Many civilians were thrown into the middle of gunfire or were chased by this mad idiots. Your family was forced onto the streets, and you ran in to protect them"

Lightning nodded, the haze beginning to lift. "Yeah. That's when it happened."

"Is any of this helping you remember?"

She smiled. "Most of it had come back, but it feels… unreal."

"Yeah, I'm not surprised. So long of having no idea. Just an empty space inside your head."

"So what about us? What were we, best friends?" She sounded as though she didn't care, but inside she really wanted to know what this man had to do with her beside the fact that she had shared her knowledge with him.

He smiled. "Well, yeah, we kinda were. I stayed at your house in a spare room some nights when your parent's weren't comfortable with me being on the streets, and you started to treat me better in the sessions."

The memories that were returning to Lightning were becoming too much of a strain on her emotions and she had to claw against the grass beneath her hand to feel the numbing pain of the cold to calm herself down.

Snow saw her growing pain. "I think we should stop. At least, for now."

Grateful for the suggestion, Lightning nodded and curled up on the grass beside Vanille, letting her tensed muscles relax and begin to soothe after the fighting, and her emotions unravel and silence themselves. She heard the soft crunching as Snow lowered himself down quietly against the frozen green blades and drift off to sleep.

She was glad he was there. She could remember the life she shared with him now, the laughter they shared and the sessions she forced him to endure, resulting in more enjoyment for her. He was a nice man, modest, friendly, and inviting. He kept her calm, and she knew that he would help her take care of Vanille when she was so worried she could not on her own.

No longer did she feel so alone in her struggle.


	15. New Complications

**Chapter Fifteen: New Complications**

The new party of three were perfect in Lightning's eyes.

They had herself, a strong, serious, perfectly able and equally forceful ex-soldier to keep everyone in line and ensure no one was killed.

Next was Vanille, the fast, reliable, mood lightening girl who was heading towards a bow master, always ready to lend a helping hand and a smile.

Their latest to join forces with them and the last on the list was Snow, brave but modest, also cheerful when he was not arguing with Lightning, and prepared to fight when needed without taking the spotlight for himself.

Though they were already getting along like a family, fights broke out occasionally, and between Lightning and Snow it was usually brutal.

Like the last three times sparks rose between the older pair, Vanille had darted behind a tree that hung low towards the ground like the rest. They were odd plants and she enjoyed climbing them as they travelled through the snowy woods, but she was not paying attention to their odd beauty as she watched the argument heating up quickly.

It was always the little things that set them off.

"What do you mean I'm being too loud? How can I be any quieter when there are leaves all around us?!" Snow bellowed, stamping his feet against the fallen leaves beneath him.

Lightning stopped and stared at him with a look that could freeze more than the mountains ever could. "Maybe if you lowered your feet a little bit lighter instead of plodding around like a mindless giant!"

"Lighter? How exactly am I supposed to keep my balance if my feet won't dig into the earth?"  
"Perhaps your feet are just too big then."

"H-hey! They are perfectly proportioned! Don't you dare run away!"

Snow chased after the woman, her hair billowing in a pink flare behind her. By this point he was laughing and calling her name, then he peered over his shoulder and motioned for Vanille to come, a giant grin on his rough face.

Jumping away from the tree she bounded after them, joining Snow's chase to try and catch Lightning.

After a few moments the woman slid effortlessly down the small hill of frost then stopped at the food of a short drop lined with pearly white stones. She looked up and placed a strong arm out to block Snow before he could fall over the edge.

He was still smiling and pat her on the back. "Wow, you certainly gave me a hell of a ru-"

"Shut up you idiot, and look!"

Below was a series of frozen streams, each shining like crystal. They stretched like veins across the small field, running past flat slabs of rock that were as smooth as glass. Upon one of the largest stood a woman with raven red hair, her back to the party as she stared in the opposite direction.

Snow lowered his head and stared at the snow beneath him, his face stricken with surprise. "She's not a soldier, but her clothes…"

"Do you know who she is?" Lightning asked just as quietly, drawing herself close to the massive man to hear his words.

"Not personally, but I have heard of her. Her name is Serila Ruvars, and she has her own cult of little psycho hunters that search for…" He froze and blinked a few times. "Well, I'm not actually sure. No one really is."

"You know about her cult, yet you don't know what the point of it is? How exactly did you learn what you have?"

He shrugged. "The government were getting really desperate, as you picked up from the mages they called upon. They started looked for groups that worked to kill, groups from outside of Pulse. They found this cult, known as the Ravens, but they refused to do their work for them, even at a fortune of money."

"But… how did the government get in contact with this world?"

This Snow didn't know. He shrugged and shook his head. "I heard of some kind of 'ties' they had to this worked, but nothing more than that. Sorry."

Realisation struck Lightning so suddenly that she instinctively swung her head around. "Where's Vanille!?"

Her question was answered with a loud yell and she turned to see Serila dragging a struggling Vanille across the stony floor.

"Well, what have we here? A little spy of some sort?" she muttered to herself in a voice that suggested she wished to tear her apart in a most creative manner. Vanille looked up into her eyes and whimpered as she realised that the irises that glared into hers were a mix of red and orange, like a horizon of the bloodiest kind.

Snow trickled down through Vanille's collar as she was dragged to the stone slab. There the strong arms lifted her effortlessly by the clothes and hung her in the air, turning her so the woman could see what she had found.

"Let her go!"

A bullet sailed over the air just above the woman's head and she immediately ducked to the side, throwing Vanille to the ground beside her as she kneeled behind the side of the rock. A moment later she emerged with a long silver knife, blade curved and decorated with red gems, pressed against Vanille's throat.

"One move, and the girl will bleed to death," the red-haired woman informed with a sour voice that spat like venom. "I will sever through her veins like tissue and let her die in the snow! Don't think I won't!"

Lightning did not stop. She took another three steps forward, each forcing the blade closer to Vanille's skin.

Snow's arm reached out and his fingers clawed at Lightning's shoulder. "I don't think she's bluffing, Lightning! Get back!"

"Listen to your friend," Serila said with a smirk. Clearly she enjoyed being in charge of things. She had the upper hand, and as much as Lightning hated it, she slowed to a stop and lowered her gun-blade.

"Fine… What do you want?"

A shrill laugh from someone of pure evil. Her hair swiped around her like a whip as she jumped back onto the slab as though it were her throne. A wicked smile graced her lips and it truly suited her well.

"I am not interested in gil, if that is what you are offering," she pointed out as she tightened her arm around Vanille who was thrashing about like a fish. "Girl, if you don't hold still, this knife will be across your throat before you can even make another twitch."

Lightning stared up at Vanille with an encouraging smile in her eyes. "Be still, Vanille. I'll sort this out, I swear."

The girl stilled with a final murmur of fear.

"Ahh, that's better," Serial snickered, readjusting her blade in a bored manner. "Now, what I want is you, Lightning." There was a gleam in her eyes that was sharper than her blade.

Fear dragged its claws along Lightning's spine, but she stayed completely stoic. "And why would you want me?"

"Because," Serial began, letting out a quick laugh. "Your powers will awakened the 'ever-sleeping' and bring an end to the forces that oppose me and my clan!" She was screaming now, maddened by some unknown reason that the others feared to learn.

"Why do you need me?" Lightning asked, her voice grated at the edge. She had had enough of people knowing secrets about her she didn't know herself. Losing her memory temporarily was starting to being irritations along to her emotion pool which was already close to spilling.

Another laugh like a volcanic eruption, long, deep, yet with a certain wild shrillness to it. "Because you possess a strange power that will unite with the o

other two who have also been blessed with its torments, and with it you will be able to awaken the ones that will fight the enemy we share."

Her explanation had been quick, to quick for Lightning to grasp. She was silent for a moment, then questions came forth.

"There are others like me? Who?"

Serial shook her head. "Tell me you will help and I will release this one. She has only seconds let." A hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, sorry! Did I tell you? I was counting down in my head."

"Alright, I'll help you! Let her go!" Lightning cried, lunging forward as Vanille was thrown towards the ground. She fell into Snow's embrace as he threw himself forward, and Lightning was upon the slab, her sword resting against Serial's with the opposing blade to hers.

"Enemies are coming," Serial said without lowering her blade. "Let me accompany you and I will tell you all I know."

There was no time to think on the request, for Lightning knew they were there. Monsters or government soldiers, she did not know, but they were running fast through the trees behind and above them on the cliff.

"Fine," she agreed. "But I will be keeping a firm eye on that blade of yours."

So the party departed with haste, now consisting of four.

"I know of only two others who share your ability, Lightning. One is with me back at my clan house, another young woman known as Clara, but the second I know nothing of apart from the fact that they also share this strange power you and Clara hold."

Serila spoke as the walked alongside Hali, stepping across the long frozen lake with rushing water echoing beneath the thick ice. It was safe lake, but whilst she was listening to the explanation, Lightning still kept an eye on Vanille, remembering the last frozen water incident.

"Are you even listening anymore?" Serila had asked her a question she had only half heard, and she shook her head to clear it.

"I am… What did you ask me again?"

With a frustrated growl Serila stopped and turned to glare at Vanille. "It's you! She keeps looking back at you! Do you want her to miss this explanation that could save everyone's lives?"

As Vanille stared down at the ground, her face going red from the screaming anger that raged from the woman, but Lightning stood up for her.

"_Don't _speak to her like that!" she snapped back. "She almost drowned the last time we crossed something like this, so don't blame me for watching out for her!"

This silenced Serila for the duration of their walk, but it became clear that she hated Vanille for more than just being a distraction. Whenever she could, the vile woman would lash out at her verbally, whether the young girl tripped on a root or fought a wild snow beast that lunged at her, saying it made her look weak and pathetic.

Lightning would grit her teeth, have a sharp retort, and threaten with her sword, but the insults continued and even Snow grew tired of it.

"Just leave her alone, alright? What is your big problem with her anyway?" he asked as Serila turned to Vanille with a scowl, clearly deciding that the girl was being a menace deliberately, stepping on the stones too loud.

"Her and her people," the woman began, flicking her head back to face the trail ahead of them. "Hunters from her village came after us once and tried to kill us. They said we were too much of a danger in Pulse."

Snow stepped towards her as she started to walk away. "Well that wasn't her fault! She wasn't among the hunters, was she?"

There was sadness in Serila's eyes as she turned, a shock to them all. "No," she whispered, then the flames were back, burning with rage. "But they killed my brother. They are all enemies to me."

The punch was so sudden it shocked the three others as Lightning struck Serila with an angry yell. The woman hit the snow with a spray of white, her burning red hair a bright shadow of flames around her head as she stared in shock at the leafy roof above her.

"So maybe hunters from her village killed your brother, but I am sure that if she had a say she would have put a stop to it before it began! I know this because I know the sort of person she is, and you clearly have _no _idea!" Lightning screamed as she messaged her aching hand, running her fingers along the gloves knuckle.

A shaky cough, then Serila was on her feet again. She glared at Lightning from beneath her hair, only one menacing eye visible, but then a smile spread across her face. "You are one of the only people to ever have the guts to do something like that, Lightning, and I must say, I envy you for it." She rose to her feet without hunching over in pain and turned to Vanille. "I do not know you girl, and I certainly do not see what your two friends here can see. Possible from my past, but whatever it is, I doubt very much it will change anytime soon. In the meantime, to avoid being punched like that again, I shall hold my tongue more often."

For the moment, that settled it.

As Lightning was allowed time to digest the information that Serial had supplied her with in the explanation, she began to think of questions.

"So who is this enemy that we both apparently share?"

"There is a darkness that hangs over the government, controlling them like puppets. That is what we must defeat."

"I don't understand."

"Wait until we reach the clan. Then you will understand."

Lightning's next question was simple. "Where exactly is that?"

The snowy fields they stepped through were becoming harder to progress across form the snow that blew against them, forcing them to a slow drawling walk.

"At the end of this range, in a small valley. It is very out of the way, well suited to the weather too."

Snow asked the next question on Lightning's lips. "What do you people do exactly? Kill relentlessly for pride? Keep the heads as trophesy in your halls?"

That sharp laugh stabbed through the air like a dagger. "Not at all. We simply take the lives of those who threaten us, and their bodies we feed to our wolves."

"You have dogs?" Vanille asked, her voice a little high. She was half frozen as she walked, and Snow had to pull her into a hard hug as they stepped through the deep sea of snow beneath them.

Serial did not answer straight away, merely out of petty spite, but finally she spoke. "Yes. Our wolves hunt the enemy and lead us to them so we can finish the job. They are quiet handy really. I might introduce you." Now she was being cruel, and Lightning let her know with a subtle clearing of the throat.

Ahead, the sun had almost completely fallen and stars were spotting the sky. They would need to rest soon, but it looked like their travelling would not end until they reached the valley of the clan. It was not far now, and they were confident they could last.

After all, so far, they had beaten all odds. What was another walk?

_Authors Note: A few of you are probably wondering who this Serila woman is. She is purely my own creation, and don't worry about her getting in the way. She will not be so cold for long, and she is not permanent either. She is there to add mystery, a new personality, and to stir things up a little that will ultimately show good changes in the group._

_Hope you like her!_


	16. Shadowed Valley

**Chapter Sixteen: Shadowed Valley**

Rock showered down like missiles upon the heads of the Lightning, Vanille, and Snow as they officially stepped into the valley. The ground was a rocky grey colour and crunched beneath their feet and the walls of earth that rose around them cast a shadow along the valley, the ground growing over as a roof and turning the end into a pitch black tunnel.

Serila had scrambled down deeper into the valley to stop the attacks of the lookouts that assaulted them, leaving the remaining three to the torment.

"This is ridiculous!" Lightning shouted. "What are they, five?"

Snow grasped her by the elbow, one giant hand over his head as he jabbed it towards the left wall. Vanille sat, crouched down in a small fracture in the rocky side, safe from the pelting stones.

Through the welcome storm Lightning and Snow ran, ducking beneath their arms for protection until they were squeezed in the thin space with Vanille.

"Those rocks are sharp," the young girl muttered as she raised an arm to show a thick thread of blood seeping from a deep cut in her forearm.

Snow set to covering the wound with a small cloth he kept in his own carry bag that hid behind his scarf-bound waist. Lightning turned to the side to see one of the stones embedded in the hard dirt near the entrance of their hidden hideout. She plucked it from the earth with a sharp tug and examined the weapon. The edge was pointed and glimmered in the dim light. There was no doubt it could kill with a single thrust.

"They've sharpened them," she said in a tone of envy. "Maybe they aren't as pathetic as I first thought."

As though accepting her words as an apology, the onslaught of stones stopped, and a moment later Serila appeared at their place of safety.

She ducked her head inside. "Everyone alive? I've stopped the attack. They now know that you're all guests here under my eye and protection, so you should be safe to pass."

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "_Should _be?"

Serila shrugged and moved to the side to let a claustrophobic Snow past. "Despite my status in the clan, I can't control them. They each have a mind of their own, and it is usually focused on spilling blood."

Vanille left next, her eyes flicking wearily to Serila's as she slipped past her to join Snow outside.

"And what exactly is your status?" Lightning asked as she left the wall, scanning the edges of the sides to be sure that the assault truly had passed. There was no one visible, so she assumed that no more piercing stones would be thrown at them.

"I am one of six leaders," Serila said proudly as she took the lead, heading into the thick darkness that cloaked what remained of the trail. "Just down here is the entrance. There are lights soon."

Daring to speak, Vanille asked, "Why is it so deep?"

To Serila it was an obvious answer and she snorted unkindly. "Because, clueless, we don't want to be found, do we?"

The look Lightning shot the woman was a dangerous warning, but she left it at that. Nothing good would come of a fight or an argument with her when they were in her homeland.

They walked through the darkness for what seemed like an eternity. The darkness seemed to drag on time, the inability to see anything at all making each step feel as though it were getting them no closer to their goal.

Whimpers filled the tunnel as they continued through, but Lightning did not stop. She continued to progress, thinking the sound was some kind of animal, but she was stopped abruptly as she collided with a form in front of her.

Serila's hair whipped Lightning's face as she turned completely. "Watch where you're going, and who the hell is making that sound?!"

Snow answered her with a shaky growl. "It's Vanille because she's scared, and I'm not exactly a great fan of spaces when I can't tell how large they are myself!"

There was a sharp irritated sigh. "It's not far!" Serila shot back, her footsteps echoing as she quickly continued to walk. "I have never taken so damn long through this tunnel!"

Lightning turned in the direction of the whines. "Vanille, come over to your left," she whispered, her arm outstretched until she could feel the cold fingers of Vanille's hand brush against them. Lightning grasped her hand and pulled her closer, keeping it tight on her shoulder for reassurance.

A few moments later, Snow had managed to make his way to her left and was speaking about normal, everyday topics to get his mind off of the terrifying walk they were taking.

Lightning enjoyed the company of her two friends. How she hated the new member of their party, but she hoped to be rid of her once they had completed what they had come for. But what was that exactly? What would she be asked to do? They needed to find the remaining two to unleash the powers, but perhaps she would be able to use hers once they were inside. Her thoughts of what her fate would be inside this unknown clan began to irritate her to the point where she wanted to run up to the invisible form of Serila ahead and throw her against the walls until she gave her more answers.

"Here we are. See the lights? The door is just behind." Her voice held amusement as though she had enjoyed hearing the fear in Snow and Vanille, but Lightning had shown no change in her character. That was the frustrating nag inside of her that she could not leash.

Sure enough, they arrived at two flaming beacons, the poles a crimson red metal that rose up towards the ceiling where the flames licked the stones harmlessly. Between and behind was the door, a giant slab of dark metal that blended in well with the stones around it.

The inside was hostile, but no longer draped by a cape of darkness that swallowed them. Instead they were bathed in crimson light from every direction. More flamed lit the walls, burning inside long metal beacons that stretched across the walls, decorated with tormented faces twisted and contorted with unknown pain.

The floors were boarded with wood fitted tightly together in a never ending consistent pattern that clawed up the walls, ending halfway to allow deep red wallpaper to take over and wash across the remaining wall and ceiling.

Statues lined the walls, each a wild looking man or woman holding a sinister sword. They were each a blackened bronze, the only other colour being bright splashes of red for blood, appearing at its thickest on the weapons.

The people were equally frightful, wandering past with sneers and glares at the strangers but nods of approval at Serial. She basked in the attention, flicking her hair back and nodded lightly to her clan's people.

The sight sickened Lightning, so she stepped before the woman to block her view of her worshippers and interrupted her. "So where exactly are we going now? You haven't really given us much of a plan."

All of the armour clad clansmen and woman stared at the pink-haired warrior as they passed, no doubt wondering why she was present in their halls, but the cool smile on Serials lips put their curiosity to silence. Clearly this was a guest.

"Now, now, dear Lightning. Do you think I am leading you into some kind of trap?"

Vanille pushed herself through the thin crowd to face the clan leader. "Have you given us a reason to trust you? Especially me. What if your planning-"

"To kill you in my halls?" Serial interrupted with a grim laugh. "Trust me dear, the thought has occurred, but what kind of a person would I be to dirty these walls with filthy murderous blood such as your own."

Lightning was about to hit her again. She longer for the feeling of her knuckles slamming into those hard cheek bones. They cracked as she readied them, but to everyone's surprise it was Snow who fought back.

The punch the giant delivered would have thrown Serial halfway down the hall, but a red-gloved hand clasped over his fist as he raised it into the air.

"I do not appreciate the thought of violence in these cleansed halls."

It was a man, tall, slender, also weighed down by thick grey plates of armour with red leather hidden beneath. Coils of springy black hair hung around his face, leaving aqua eyes revealed and staring. He was a handsome man with a small thick beard and petite features, but it did not look like there was much fight in him. Snow pulled his hand free roughly and took a few steps back until he was by Lightning's side.

"I don't like this," he whispered to her as the mysterious man engaged in a heated argument with Serial.

They argued about who had the rights, and clearly Serial had gone to far in the man's eyes. His name was yelled out three times. Jerake, the apparent harmless idiot who would allow ruin to pass straight through the halls.

"We could run now," Vanille squeaked, her feet already creeping towards the door.

Lightning refused. "No. We need to do this. If she's offering help to rid the government of whatever is plaguing them and making their judgments and decisions twisted, then we need to at least see what she had to offer."

"Fine!" Serial suddenly screamed, turning angrily from Jerake and glaring at Lightning, clearly seeing her as the leader now. "Come, I have to bring you to the other leaders, then I will take you to meet Clara."

There were three other leaders waiting in the court, a giant hall lined completely with staircases that led to sparkling thrones upon which sat the pompous, bored looking people. There were two males, and one female, all of which did not seem interested at all when Serial entered, but as soon as Lightning, Vanille, and Snow appeared, they sat up straight in their seats and were suddenly eager.

"You there, young lady," the oldest man asked, his white hair long and bristling at the tips, pale eyes blinking constantly as he struggled to focus. "This court is only for elders, not youths like you. What is your age?"

"I'm eighteen," Vanille answered with a quiet voice. She shied away from the old man's glance.

The woman was much friendlier. "Lenus," she began, glancing at the elder. "Do not be so harsh. Let the rules wave just this once. Our Serial has an important mission, remember?" Her shimmering locks of blonde hair were golden in the light, complementing her green eyes and many chains of gold around her neck.

Serial's chest rose as the man sunk back into his seat, nodding his head tiredly.

"So which is it?" the second man asked, a younger looking version of the older man with short silver hair matted to his head. He had eyes almost as dark as the night, but they were kind in a way.

Serial jerked her head at Lightning. "This one here. She holds the power we need. I do not think there is much time though, for they were attacked in the Zerake Range, so Lenus, Mirell, Marthik, may we go to the Silver Pool, and begin?"

"You missed me." Jerake had entered without a single noise and made everyone jump at his sudden presence. "I would appreciate it if you asked my permission as well before jumping into things."

Serial bit back a retort and instead apologised.

He smiled. "It's alright. You may go, but make it hasty. We have much to ask of your journey."

The silver pool was exactly that. In the lower levels of the clan halls were caverns with winding paths of water twisting and turning around the rock formations that climbed to the ceiling. The group of four walked with a burning torch between them, basking in the light and watching the shadows as they stalked along beside and behind them.

At the end of the longest cavern path was a deep pool of water that glimmered an odd silver, making it appear like a metallic liquid.

"Here is the power that surged from Clara. It is not much, and that Is hwy we need your help, Lightning," Serial explained, coming to a stop at the edge of the pool and turning to the woman. "All you must do is stand in the centre of the pool and lay your hands upon the surface. The power that has already accumulated should pull your out like a magnet."

Lightning did not like the sound of it. "Serial, if this hurts me, I am a fantastic aim with my sword. Your head will be upon the ground before you can even begin to bend your knees to dodge."

Beneath the red hair, Serial's face paled, but she nodded and promised that no harm would come.

Vanille went to follow as Lightning's feet crawled across the pebbled edges. Snow clasped her shoulder and pulled her back, counterattacking the scowl from Serial with a glare of stone.

The liquid seemed to tug at Lightning as she passed through. It was thick like mud, and as she stared down into the depths she realised that she could not see the ground her feet pressed down upon.

Without another thought about the mysterious and possibly harmful substance she waded through, Lightning dragged her tiring legs to the centre and laid her hands against the surface. It felt like glass, cold and hard as though it was setting beneath her hands, but she did not look away. More silver colours were seeping away from her and spreading amongst the liquid, making it a dark shade of stormy grey. She stared, mesmerised at the blending shade as it pulled away from her, then she felt suddenly weak, drained.

"Okay, that's it. You can come back now."

Flashes of her past. They whizzed by in her head, taunting her, the screams filling her mind.

Snows voice. "Lightning, get back here!"

She could not top it, the memories she had not missed at all. They all flooded back. Blood, tears, her own, and those of her parent's. They were dead at her feet, unable to return.

This time it was a female voice, small and frightened, screeching with urgency. "Lightning, they're attacking!"

She whipped her head back, her tortured mind fallen to pieces, leaving her numb and unable to understand what the glowing light that crowded around the three strangers at the side were.

A splash of silvered water exploded into the air, droplets falling slowly and thickly into the water. A head emerged, red hair mattered to the skull as the woman struggled to her feet, her hand flying to the blade she carried.

Serial. Lightning could remember now, and despite the woman's vile acts towards the youth of the group, Vanille, another memory returned, Lightning knew that she had to save her life.

The lights that glowed against the dark background were burning torches, some with spiked ends that threatened to puncture through the remaining stranger, soon recognised as Snow, who stood in front of Vanille and spread his arms out to protect her.

In the water, Lightning was useless to help him as she held the struggling Serial up from being submerged.

"Snow!" she screamed, her own pink hair falling lank from the water it had drowned in. "Get back! Get away from them!"

One of the speared poles struck at him, the tip inches from his stomach. He clenched his teeth, eyes never leaving the opponent as he waited for the pain.

A bright flash.

No blood.

A figure, standing in between Snow and the attack, long blonde hair waving behind like a cloak, shield of pure crystal shining before her, inches from her hand that was held like a menacing weapon in itself.

A word was screamed, strained with fear. "Clara!" The girl's name, and clearly close to Serial, for she was on her feet, leaping through the thickened water and jumping at the girl.

The fight was quick. Serial took all of the soldiers, slitting throats and stabbing through chests as she passed to each person with only seconds in between each fresh splash of blood.

Once it was done, all eyes were on the stranger, the other _chosen_. She was breathing hard, doubled over, every inch of her shaking as though she were caught in an earthquake.

"Come on, we need to go," Lightning said somewhat calmly, gathering her voice again and stepping over the bodies of the slaughtered. She did not want to waste anymore time in that place.

A pale faced Serial supported a barely conscious Clara along, glancing around every corner and biting her lip so savagely it began to bleed.

"Why did they attack you?" Snow asked, keeping close to his saviour, no doubt planning to thank her as soon as she woke.

Serial shrugged her shoulders tensely. "A betrayal… I never thought… Not me, one of their greatest assets!"

"You still see yourself as the golden leader. You certainly took your time to find the next chosen, but time is not what he have a lot of." Jerake, his voice now edges with hate, stepped from the shadows as they entered the halls again. He wore a scowl, but then a smirk as his eyes found Clara.

Serial stepped back. "Don't you _dare_ take her! I'm leaving, and she's coming with me!"

"No, she is not. We will take over from here. You started us off, but clearly you are not strong enough to finish."

Her hand was wrapped around Clara now, showing affection that none of the others had seen.

"You won't take her! I done trying to find them all anyway! It won't work, you here me? That government has become too twisted by the possessor!"

There was an cry. White flames pearly and glinting rose from the ground at Clara's feet, then lashed out like a whip towards Jerake. He jumped back, swearing and muttering as she stared at Clara who was the obvious controller of the attack.

"Now!" Lightning yelled, backing away towards the nearest door that she remembered led towards the entrance. "We have to go, now!"

They ran. The flames continued to burn. They were gasping for air, Clara sobbing away. The darkness was welcomed, and they spilled out across the cave. There was no time to turn around, no time to pull weapons into hands. The sunlight called to them, and they embraced it seconds later as the cave ended abruptly.

Clara was immediately on the ground, her knees digging into the earth. "I burned them! I killed them!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Serial draped an arm across her shoulders and helped her to her feet, holding her to her side to stop her from sliding to the ground again. "You're not a killer. Your power is a gift."

Lightning stared into the young girl's eyes. They were dark, almost black, but wide with fear. "No," she said softly, bending down to stare into those eyes that knew exactly what she went through herself. "It's not a gift."


	17. Authors Note

**Authors Note**

My dear loyal fans, I am so sorry I have not updated for so long! How long has it been? A month? Two? Three? I understand that many of you really enjoyed this story, so I apologize for leaving it how it was for so long.

I have had a lot of things go wrong for me, and have been sorting them out as best I can. Despite it being worse at the moment, I don't think it will improve and I am back to writing like a maniac again on my laptop.

In short, things suck, but a new chapter is on the way! I have spent a fair bit of time thinking (about twenty minutes) and I have come up with some new ideas, so hopefully the remaining chapters will be a blast for you!

By the way, the story is no longer based on what I think the game will be. It has taken on a mind of its own, and I aim to continue to steer it in the direction of my own storyline, but you have probably already figured that out 

Anyway, enough of my chatting. The new chapter should be in roughly within this week sometime, so get ready!

_ShatteredHeart98_


	18. Lost and Found

**Chapter Seventeen: Lost and Found**

There was no rest for five escapees. They trudged through mud that the rain churned and thickened as behind the grey sheets the enemy poured out. They threw rocks, raised fists and blades, screamed, swore, cried out in rage as they chased.

Snow helped to support Clara with Serial, his feet leaping in great bounds through the mud as though it were water that did not tug him back, but the others struggled.

Vanille slipped at one point and was half buried in the mud, crying out as she felt the maddened people of the temple running after her. Lightning scooped her up until her feet were stable enough to carry her through, and they hurried on.

"This is hopeless!" Serial cried out as the valley continued in front of them as though it were growing. "They're getting closer! We need to get out!"

"Hold her!" Snow yelled just as loud. He pushed Clara completely into Serial's grip and stared hard into her eyes as they clouded with confusion. "I'm going to fight them to slow them down, so you four should have enough time to get out."

Lightning had heard and turned with such force that she almost lost her footing. "Don't you dare! Don't you _dare _be a hero Snow!"

He glared furiously and shook his head. "I'm not doing this for honour or glory! I couldn't care less for things like that!" A smile broke across his grim paled face. "But the safety of my friends… _That _matters to me."

"Dammit it Snow, don't use that on me!" Lightning could remember now. Fragments of her past fell into place instantly and she saw them play out, heard him convincing her that he had to kill the soldier that she had wanted to because he did not want to lose a great tutor…

"There's no time to argue about this!" Serial screamed louder than Lightning and Snow could even if they yelled out at the same time. "Snow," she said turning to him. "If you must to ensure our safety, and you will not back down, then you must." Her voice broke a little. She was saddened by his choice and she stared at her feet, Clara clutching onto her like a desperate child.

Solemnly, Snow nodded and turned to the people of the temple that raged toward them. Mud splattered across them with every step and for a moment he pictured it as his blood. But he had no choice. He would do this to protect them, for his life being sacrificed for the fall of the military was an easy price to pay. He knew that they could do it, and they did not need him.

Like a lonely knight against a tide of beasts, he charged.

Vanille clutched Lightning's arm as she raced forward, more of her memory returning. He had become her best student, her protection, her _friend._

"No!" she cried out, and before she could even understand what she was doing she lashed out at Vanille, her hand slapping her hard in the face and knocking her back into the hardening mud.

The expression of hurt and surprise on Vanille's face broke her heart.

"What are you doing!" Serial screamed out. "Move!"

The confusion was enough for the running temple men and women as some leaked past the wild giant of a man, Snow. They threw themselves at Serial and knocked her into the mud. Her nose hit a rock and she felt blood pulse out in a warm mess. It was not broken, but it hurt too intensely she elbowed out and broke the jaw of one of the attackers.

Once she was released, she pushed herself out and realised instantly that Clara was not there. That hold on her shirt, so tight, that trembling body, that whimpering voice. It was gone, and as she turned to face the wave that were being shot down, she could not see her anywhere.

Lightning grasped the back of the woman's shirt forcefully and tugged. "Move your ass Serial!" Her elbow slammed out again, but Lightning caught it and pressed her arm to her back.

"Clara is gone!" Serial screamed in rage. "They've taken her!"

"She escaped."

Vanille's voice was quiet and calm and both girls turned to see a red mark along the side of her left brow where Lightning had struck her.

"Vanille," the woman said quietly. "I'm so-"

"Don't," Vanille said simply, shaking her head and closing her teary eyes. "We need to move, we need to find her."

No more words were said. They rushed off further through the valley, Lightning only stopping to stare back at Snow and watch as he fired madly at the chasers. For a moment his eyes met hers again and reassurances were spread across through the gaze, then they parted.

The camp area they found was not much. Back in the snow forest beside a lake they stayed, surrounded by the shadows of the tall trees that spread dark green leaves above like a roof, protecting them from the fall of snow.

Vanille sat at the edge of the lake, staring down at the glistening surface as whimpers racked her body. She tried to hide it, but couldn't, so she sat, fingering the mark on her head to see how much it hurt.

"Hey."

Vanille bit her lip. "Lightning, I'm not really in the mood for comfort at the-"

"It's not Lightning."

Serial was at her side in the snowy grass, her eyes scanning the scene as she waited for the young girl to speak.

"Oh, sorry," Vanille apologized quickly. "I thought-"

"She's giving you time," Serial interrupted, answering the question that was coming. She turned to Vanille. "And she doesn't hate you, just so you know. What she did, it was an act of fear and confusion. You did nothing to deserve it, and trust me, she realises that."

It was true because behind them Lightning was staring into the flaming ambers of their campfire. She didn't blink or move a single inch. Her mind was busy going over what she had done to her little friend.

With a heavy sigh Vanille hung her head until her chin rested to her chest. "I keep getting in the way."

"I told you, you're not to blame for what she did," Serial repeated, staring back briefly at the armoured woman who was close to tears. "To her, you're like a sister…" Her voice broke like glass and she sniffed suddenly. Vanille raised her gaze in time to see her sudden companion rise to her feet and hurry off to a lonely spot upon a small cliff of rocks where she hugged her knees to her chest.

Serial refused to come back over several times in a bleak quiet voice, so Vanille brought herself over to Lightning and sat at her side.

For a moment, neither spoke, then, "Vanille, I'm so sorry."

The young girl shook her head and threw a handful of long blades of grass into the dancing flames. "Serial told me that it was your emotions that set you off. I didn't do anything… did I?"

Lightning shook her head quickly. "No, you didn't do a thing to deserve it," she reassured her. How it pained her heart to hurt someone she had grown so close to. "Damn it, I'm just a monster."

"No your not! I don't believe it, not one bit, Lightning!"

"But look what I do! I just attack! I kill!"

"It isn't your fault," Vanille protested, now on her feet as she grew angrier with the mental wounds Lightning inflicted upon herself. "You're past… No one blames you for what you do, Lightning, and the sooner you realise that, the sooner you can let people help you control it."

There was silence again, but it was different. There was a good feeling about it, a triumph. The air of the situation was thick with it and a smile appeared on Lightning's face.

"Thank you, Vanille. I really mean it, thanks."

"Well that's what I was waiting for." Serial returned to them, her shadow creeping across the campsite. "About time things calmed down here."

Lightning nodded and held back the surprise of the kindness shown by the strict woman, but Vanille stared in shock.

"Serial, you're crying."

"What?" she gasped, reaching up and wiping away the tears that were rolling down her face. "Oh, this? Just… a bit cold, that's all," she said quickly, straining a smile. "It stings."

With that said, she fainted to the ground.

An hour later Serial awoke again. Her head was heavy as though bricks had been laid at the bottom of her skull. Carefully she moved her head to the side to find her eyes burning against the heat of the fire that danced only feet away. She turned her head back to stare at the stars clouded by the canopy of leaves, then she tried to sit up.

"Hey, not so fast there," Vanille objected as she appeared at her side.

"You've been out for a while now, so try not to push it." Lightning was there as well, sitting by the fire and staring over at the form of Serial.

Then there was another person standing in the line of trees past their little camp. The stranger was just a shadow in the distance that separated them, but it was definitely a person, Serial was sure of that.

"There," she gasped, thinking them an enemy. "By the trees."

Vanille turned and stared, but her eyes could see nothing. Lightning however, caught sight of the person's outline and rushed over with her sword at the ready.

"Who are you!" she cried as she came into reach. "Tell me right nor or-"

"Please." Their voice shook with terror as they stepped out into the light, showing their true selves.

"Clara," all three girls gasped together as they stared at the youngster, and Vanille was sure she had heard a choked sob escape Serial.

"Yeah, it's me," the girl muttered as she took a step towards Lightning, her feet struggling to stay flat upon the ground. She was exhausted, pale, almost certainly hungry and thirsty, but before anything could be offered Lighting was forced to catch her as her knees gave way and she fell unconscious.


	19. True Selves

**Chapter Eighteen: True Selves**

"Are you sure she's okay? Look how pale she is."

"Serial, I know what a dead body looks like. Trust me, she is not dead."

The argument between Lightning and Serial was growing more heated by the minute, Serial worried about her little friend and Lightning trying to convince her that she was okay.

Vanille tried to assist her older friend in this struggle. "Look, she's breathing, and she keeps twitching as well. She's alive and well, Serial, and I bet that in a little while she'll wake up."

Serial glared at the ground. "Well, if she isn't awake by then, I'm not sleeping. There is no way I will leave her in danger like that."

"Fair enough," Lightning said with a sigh. "But if you chose to do that, just don't slow us down when we get moving again."

Vanille looked up at her. "And when will that be?"

The oldest of the group shrugged. "Well, we need to find Snow, right? So as soon as possible I guess, but we should rest here for the night so we have strength to set off tomorrow if we can."

"He can take care of himself," Serial muttered quietly as though she did not have her heart in the belief. She had pinpointed Vanille's fear for the man, for the pair had grown quiet close as friends, protective of each other like a brother and a sister.

It seemed that all friendships were blooming in those days past. Serial was now much nicer to the pair she sat with at the fire, especially Vanille, and after the sudden attack, Lightning and Vanille were almost best friends. As Vanille sat shivering, Lightning dropped a blanket lazily over her shoulders and returned to her spot on the ground without a word.

That, to Vanille was the best friendship she could hope for with the woman, and she was pleased with it.

An hour later Clara awoke.

At first she was weak like an infant, barely able to even lift arm to gain the attention of the three beside her at the fire. They had not noticed that her eyes were open a crack, but they threatened to shut again.

'No, I have to stay… awake…' she thought in a blurred, messy contemplation that unravelled as she began to fall into the darkness for the second time.

"Clara?"

Serial's voice was so familiar to her. Clara opened her eyes, a smile already spreading across her face. There she was, her carer, her friend.

Then another face poked into view, a long stream of light pink getting caught in the moons light. She was beautiful, that was an immediate fact.

"How are you feeling?" Lightning asked, speaking calmly and quietly as she noted the fear in the young girl's eyes.

Clara opened her mouth to speak, but now there was another girl, younger this time, surely not much older than herself. She looked kind, a gentle smile, inviting eyes that seemed to shine.

"Are you alright Clara?" she asked in a more formal tone than the older girl.

This time Clara managed to find her voice and address the three staring down at her. "I-I think I'm okay," she mumbled, not daring to try to sit up in fear of returning to the darkness, but it was inevitable. Her lack of energy was already tugging on her consciousness.

"She needs more rest," Lightning said, turning to face Clara. "She's fine, so you don't need to worry."

Sleep came to the youngest and it was a slumber she knew would last at least the entire night.

Settling again, the three girls that remained awake returned to their seats by the fire, its warmth seeping into them and keeping the cold at bay like a wild animal behind bars, being teased with the meat on the outside.

Vanille turned to Clara as silence cloaked the camp. "So who is she? I mean, you're so friendly to her. Surely she's more than a friend."

A risky question Lightning thought, and she prepared herself for a harsh retort from Serial.

Instead, she seemed pained by the question and shied away.

Now Lightning wanted answers. "Serial, now that you're travelling with us you can't keep things from us."

Serial nodded slowly, a tiny smile on her features that looked as fragile as glass. "It's just… hard," she began, and then sighed before speaking again. "Clara, she's my sister."

When they were young, Clara and Serial had been as close as sisters could be. They lived in a little village in the snow fields not far from where they were camping now, and their family had thrived in the conditions. Then one day Clara grew strange and they thought her sick. It was a small village and the only available doctor disliked the family because they were making more money through their many harvests.

One day after he pronounced Clara absolutely healthy, she slaughtered everyone in the village apart from herself and her dear sister Serial who sat, telling the story now.

The pain was clear on her face as she spoke, wincing and wrinkling her nose as she spoke of her family being killed.

"I came home with an armful of violet flowers, but as soon as I reached the outer doors of the village I realised that villagers were lying in the snow covered ground, but they weren't moving at all. I ran straight to our house, threw open the door…"

From across the fire Clara twitched as though in her slumber she could hear the conversation and remember everything that had happened.

"Why did she do it?" Vanille asked in a strangled whisper. "Why would she."

Lightning knew the answer. "Because she's like me." Tears were on her face, drying in the cold wind. She had remembered the one memory she had been glad to forget. Her own family, slaughtered at her feet, slaughtered by her blade.

"That power," Serial continued, glancing over at her sister. "I had never seen anything like it. I fled, and found people that had lost their homes to a landslide. Together we found the valley and made it into our home, then the government bastards came and found that some of us were brilliant fighters… They wanted to recruit us, and when we refused they attacked, and that's when Clara came back."

"She came back?" Vanille gasped.

Serial smiled back. "Yeah, she came to save me, and she did. She wiped out a large number of their soldiers, and we were grateful, but unfortunately the remaining members of the group fled with the news of an all powerful girl. I knew that they would use her, so I hid her deeper into the valley where she would not be found, and that was where it was."

"The water." Lightning was picking up on everything fast.

Serial nodded. "There were inscriptions written on the walls that my parents had once told me to learn, and it told me of the prophecy. An entity of power unleashed by the _chosen's_ that would bring down the growing enemy of the world, the possessed government."

Clara whimpered in her sleep, shuffled on her back, then stilled again.

"Nightmares." Lightning sighed. "I have them too."

"Every night," Serial pointed out as she stared sadly at her little sister. "It was hard to accept that I could not help her, but there was a positive in the mess of her power. She can't remember what she did. All she remembers is waking up in our valley, for she fainted as soon as she killed the soldiers. Since then she has barely used her power." Serial stifled a sharp laugh. "I tell her it is a special gift given to the truly wonderful and deserving. Somehow, she always knew that something had happened."

"What else does she not know?" Lightning asked.

"Well, I failed to mention that I am her sister," Serial explained with some frustration in her voice. "You see, she hates violence, and she knows of the killing and hateful hunting I have conducted on these soldiers, so she distances herself a little, but her heart keeps her close for that reason I refuse to tell her."

"A sister that she would despise?" Vanille asked in confusion. "I don't think such a thing exists, Serial. She will always love you, you know?"

More laughter from the woman. "I hope so," she said as the small fit passed. "For I can't keep it from her all the time."

"That's right, you can't."

An unwelcome voice had joined the conversation with no invitation and all eyes stared into the darkness.

"Another visitor?" Lightning sighed with hidden fear. "Who is it this time?"

The intruder stepped out into the light of the fire. "Well you've had a busy night, haven't you?"

"Tias!" The name lingered in a growl as Lightning attacked the man, twirling her blade this way and that, striking metal plated and tearing at his cape. A gun was pulled out, a bullet fired.

There was no searing pain. Lightning had tried to dodge but had been too late, so why was there no blood, no feeling?

Serial stood in front of her, a hand pressed to her stomach as blood spilled over her fingers. Her eyes burned into Tias's, and she spat the word none had expected to hear.

"Damn you, brother!"

She hit the ground, then rolled uselessly to her side as the wound gaped in between her shaking fingers. She tensed herself into a ball, let out little whimpers, and stared with teary eyes at Lightning.

"Don't just s-stand there… Fi-finish him!"

Vanille had screamed and was on her knees beside Serial, holding her own hands to the wound as Tias stepped closer to Lightning, his gun pointing straight at her chest, but she would be too slow if she tried to shoot him. He had the upper hand now, and all she could do was stutter, "How?"

He seemed happy to answer. "You and Clara aren't the only ones to have power, Lightning. You see, being related to my dear little sister Serial I too have gained my own fancy little tricks."

"That… that's impossible!"

"Really? How so?"

"Does that mean…?"

Tias laughed and it held the essence of Serial's. Even some of his features were the same. "Yes Lightning, you are also of our family. You were orphaned as a child, but your memory was already shaky, so that fact was always fiction in the surface of your mind, but you were taken in by those you killed, and now…" He laughed again. "Well, what a nice little family reunion!"

Lightning's mind was going too fast for her to grasp anything at all. She stared at the man, her _brother_, and could not come to terms with what she had heard.

Another gunshot screamed through the air, and sparks exploded at Tias's hands. He cried out, clutched his wrist as his broken gun fell into the snow, then with one last glare he fled into the darkness.

Lightning collapsed to her knees, tears dropping into the snow, but should she be happy? Or sad? She had no idea, and that only confused her further.

"Here, drink this, it should help close up the wound," she could hear Snow saying.

Snow. He was back, and she wanted more than anything to be in her dear friend's embrace.

Vanille was there in front of her a second later, saying something about her cure magic. Lightning mumbled back an answer she could not remember, and then pulled herself over to the fallen member of the campfire group.

Magic flowed from her hands and lit the paled features of Serial. Her wound began to stitch, the blood already disappearing along with the pained expression on her face.

A moment later she opened her eyes. "Lightning… I'm sorry."

And that was all the pink-haired woman knew as everything became too much and she hit the snow that seemed to engulf her in darkness.


	20. Family Ties

**Chapter Nineteen: Family Ties**

"So tell me again? Tias is your brother who ran away when he was little to…?"

"To kill the people who had robbed us after he found out what he could do."

"And he came back?"

"No. I thought that he was dead because he sent us a letter saying that he had fallen into a mess with Vanille's kind (this she did not say unkindly), and we thought they had killed him because we heard no other word of him, but I saw him again a few days ago before I met you three. I saw him attacking you in Thor's Clearing and ran in fear that he would see me and recognise me."

"Fair enough. But what about Lightning? Is she really related to you three?"

"I don't know. It seems a little odd that the three who possess this power are of the same family. It would be stranger for one to be the odd one out."

"But he could be lying?"

"Yes, he was always deceptive."

"So there is still one more, huh? One more _chosen_?"

"That's right, and them I have no idea about. Perhaps it is them that Lightning is related to. A pair of families instead of part of mine."

As the conversation between Snow and Serial started to make sense, Lightning found she could open her eyes, and she saw the pair turning to her to make sure she was okay.

"There they are, those crazy 'don't mess wit me' eyes," Snow joked.

Lightning smiled. "Yeah. Sorry about that before. Guess it was too much."

Serial began explaining everything that she had been saying to Snow, and Lightning found that although she had heard it, it made more sense when she heard it again.

"Maybe your right with that theory," Lightning admitted. "Maybe the other chosen is a sibling I cannot remember."

To her left Vanille and Clara slept, their minds filled with the same confusing thoughts that overcame them as well, forcing them to sleep as soon as everything was safe.

"So how is the wound feeling?" Snow asked Serial with a smile. "That was certainly a close call."

"Still aches a little like I've been punched in the stomach, but other than that I'm fine," she replied, glancing at Lightning. "Thanks to your magic."

Lightning simply nodded her head, still not used to the kindness of this woman that had only recently begun to shine out of her like the birth of a new sun.

Snow glanced over at Clara. "So I guess she knows that secret of yours, right?" he said, having heard it from Serial a few hours before after Lightning had fainted and the little ones had drifted off in the grass.

Serial hung her head. "I didn't even get a chace to speak to her about it before she fell asleep. I would hate to know what is going through your head."

"Don't worry," Lightning said suddenly with such sympathy that both pairs of eyes were on her in an instant. "She's your sister," she added simply. "She loves you, and always has; only now she really understands why."

It took a moment of thinking from Serial before she finally nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess your right. Thanks Lightning."

The sun was beginning to rise, bringing up a new day with it as the three discussed what had happened further.

"So Tias is a chosen, and you didn't know?" Snow asked, one of the lingering questions over the campfire.

Again Serial looked disappointed in the way things had turned out. "No, I had no idea, but I guess the powers started with him, not Clara like I thought. He was the first born you see, so this power was born to our family through him I guess."

"But surely you had some idea," Lightning said.

Serial sighed. "When I saw him fighting in Thor's Clearing, I knew I recognised some of that movement, so perfect and powerful, and I had a thought that maybehe was a chosen."

Another question rose from Lightning this time, and was directed at Snow. "So what exactly happened?" she asked.

"I fought, got my butt kicked, ran, and then found you some time later in just the right time judging by the situation," he recounted simply, leaving out any heroics or pain he may have had to endure.

Lightning smiled, envy growing for his modesty and simplicity. "Fair enough.

When Clara and Vanille awoke things were much different, and questions were shot out of Vanille like a cannon.

A swift explanation was given to her as Serial and Clara departed to a private area to talk things through.

"So let me get this straight. That Tias guy is a chosen and he is Serial's brother, and he thinks that you, Lightning, are part of their family, but he may be lying because there is another chosen and no more family members In Serial's family that are chosens… Am I right so far?"

When she could decipher the words that had spilled out of the young girl's mouth, Lightning nodded her head. "Yeah, and personally I hope I do not belong to such a dismantled family, no offence to them."

Snow shook his head. "Mind my intrusion into your private thoughts, but I think it is just the word family that makes you panic."

He was right, and that made Lightning turn to stone again for a moment. "How did you-"

"Because," Snow interrupted, "I know you a lot more than others, and after your accident you shied away from the word and its meaning despite the fact you had forgotten about killing them. It was the subconscious knowledge of it that shielded you away from others."

"And we brought you out of it, Lightning," Vanille piped up happily. "When you met me you were like that. All quiet and hiding away, but now look! Your…" she trailed off as her eyes grew teary. "You're like a sister to me now."

The emotions were flowing out of all of them, and Lighting could feel her eyes growing wet. Thankfully Snow was right on time with his bear hug and she could dry them against his shirt quickly.

It had been an hour since the other two girls had left to discuss their relation, and the others had begun to notice the length of time.

"Maybe we should check on them?" Vanille suggested as she sat close to Lightning's side, comforted by her strong protective nature that made her seem more like a family member to her.

Strangely to Lightning, she did not mind one bit and protested to the suggestion. "Give them another ten minutes," she replied, staring at the swaying grass.

So much had happened that night, full of terror, confusion, hurt, and angst, but yet in the end, she was happy. This was her family, Snow and Vanille, and Serial and Clara were her friends. They were a group, and together they would face the government and the monster that held its power over them. She did not want it any other way.

"Lightning?"

"What is it, Snow?"

"It's been ten minutes."

So they left the campsite and walked around the corner, following the trail they had seen Clara and Serial take, hand in hand, shaking and paling.

The trees thinned out as they turned to face them, and in the wide gaps they could see the two small figures lying in the snow, completely motionless.

"Oh no!" Vanille gasped, thinking they were hurt. Out came her bow along with the metal of Lighting's gun-blade and the click of Snow's gun.

They stepped through the snow wearily, wondering how things could get possibly worse injury wise. First Serial had been shot, then many mental injuries had been inflicted upon them all, and now…

"Wait," Lightning said quietly as she held out a hand to block her two friends, no, family members that shivered in the growing cold behind her.

She took the leading role on her own now, stepping close to the forms and bending down to inspect the damage.

She smiled.

"What is it?" Snow asked as they were beckoned over.

"Shhh…" Lightning shushed him, nodding her head at the two girls where they lay. "Try not to wake them."

They were sleeping, that was all, but the sight proved that the talk had gone well. There was Clara, wrapped in her bigger sister's arms, both sleeping soundly with smiles on their faces. It was smile that only family members shared when they were in each others embrace, and to Snow, Lightning, and Vanille, it was beautiful.


	21. Taking to the Skies

**Chapter Twenty: ** **Taking to the skies**

When morning came, things were less harmonious. Snow had risen first and aimed to gather wood for the dying fire they had re-set where the two sisters slept, but as he moved over the ground his foot caught on a fallen tree branch and he nosedived into Serial.

She was not the best person to wake so rudely, for she rewarded him with a brick-hard punch to the nose.

"What the hell!?" she yelled, bringing everyone else back to reality from their slumbers.

Vanille was mumbling like an idiot, trying to figure out where she was from a long, deep sleep, but Lightning's senses were always alert.

"What happened?" she asked, playing the usual role of leader.

Serial shoved Snow off of her. "This _bear _obviously lacks the ability to walk straight!"

"Bear?" Snow said curiously. "Well, that's a new one."

Almost invisible in the snow because of her lithe body and light coloured hair, all eyes swept straight over Clara.

"Calm down, everyone," Lightning demanded, striding over to Snow. "What were you up to, anyway? We lost you yesterday and knew you could have been dead, and now you're taking off again?"

Her sudden shrill voice told Snow that he had worried his old friend more than he had thought. "Sorry. I was only going to get some more firewood," he said as he helped himself up and pointed to the meek embers in the pit.

By this point Vanille was conscious to everything and had pulled herself over to Clara where she checked to see if she was still asleep.

The youngest of the group was almost completely still in her sleep, her breaths tiny and almost invisible to the eye, her body without shivers from the cold or twitches from sleep.

"She sleeps like the dead," Vanille remarked as she look up at the others.

Everyone glanced down at the form.

"She has always been like that," Serial pointed out as she removed her top layer of clothing, revealing a sleeveless top beneath. She laid the clothes over her little sister to keep her warm then turned to Lightning. "Are we leaving now?"

Lightning nodded. "I want to keep moving. Tias would have returned to the others now, so they would know of our location."

"But if we keep moving through this snow they will find us from our tracks, and they would have groups of soldiers dispatched around the place anyway," Snow said, losing his usual optimism and looking downcast and scared.

"Damn it," Lightning sighed. "Your right. Were in a tough spot here."

"What are you two doing?" Vanille cried out suddenly, jumping to her feet and popping up in between Snow and Lightning. "You two are like the leaders! You can't lose heart!"

"She's right." Serial's agreement was an added shock, until she added, "But so are you two. Here we are lost for sure, but perhaps there is another way."

"And how is that?" Lightning asked. "Do you want us to sprout wings and fly?"

Serial almost laughed. "Not quiet, but in a way your right."

They climbed and climbed, desperate to reach the middle of the mountain. Ice turned their hands raw and numb and the wind tore at their clothes. Twice Clara almost fell from lack of energy, but Serial had a fast catch when it came to her sister and saved her every time. Vanille, however, fell near their destination and all hands that reached out missed her.

"Vanille!" they all cried together, even Clara, as their fallen friends screamed all the way.

Another scream filled the air, drowning out all others, but it was more than a scream. It was a high pitched cry, and a bird with a wingspan of two Snow's plummeted down after the girl.

Lightning stared up at Serial as she smiled back. She had said that there was a way of transport in the heart of the mountain, but this was not what Lightning had expected.

The flying beast, a pitch black raven of a sort, swerved beneath Vanille until she landed on its back, immediately cutting off her scream. It lifted itself with strong beating of its wings, and then it rocketed up past the rest of the climbers and disappeared into the caves it had burst out of.

"Gee, thanks for the ride!" Snow shouted sarcastically with a laugh. He seemed to be enjoying every part of the surprise, but Lightning was not so joyful.

Inside of the cave the bird hung its head low to Vanille as she wearily stroked its beak, but as it began to claw the ground in bliss from her gentle touch, a smile spread across her face.

"Meet our tour bird for the day," Serial said merrily. "He is my own little secret. Only Clara knows."

The young girl smiled and ran over to Vanille to pat the bird as well. "I never thought I would actually meet him," she said, her silence ended. "I'm glad he will be with us today… sister."

The new title brought a burst of pride to Serial.

Getting on the bird was hard work, well, for everyone but Serial of course. She practically threw herself on, then lifted Clara with an effortless jerk as Vanille was lifted by Snow's strong hands. He turned to the last member of the party remaining and smiled a little.

"Not a chance," Lightning said as she helped herself up, refusing his help.

Shrugging, Snow clambered upon the bird after her.

"Now, the rule of flight is," Serial began, already setting the bird off. "Hold on tight."

There were less than ten seconds for everyone to get a good grasp of feathers before the creature threw itself out of the cave and spread its wings wide. The feeling was so majestic to them all as though they were in the old tales they used to read when they were young. It seemed like riding on a myth, but it was kind and gentle that surely _myth _was not the right word. Myths were wild, dangerous creatures that hunted and killed in their world, but this thing was different. It was unique.

With a screech it released a sudden burst of energy and reached a speed that pushed them all back a few inches.

"Wow, this is…" Vanille's last word was lost to the wind, but they all assumed from her delighted face that it was something good.

Clara was laughing out loud like a maniac as the wind buffeted past her, but she kept her arms around Serial in fear of falling off.

Even the three adults could not help but smile a little despite the tense times they faced.

Finally the creature slowed to an easy flight, skimming over the clouds and rearing its head this way and that to search for the next destination in which to drop off the passengers.

As the drunken happiness wore off, a conversation broke out.

"So where exactly is it, sorry, _he _taking us?" Lightning called to Serial at the front.

She shrugged simply. "As far as it can if it wants to remember where it came from. It knows only one route, and I am almost certain it leads to the plains."

"_Almost _certain?" Lightning called back.

"Well, the first time I rode this guy, I fell off a few hours from the plains and it didn't even notice. A little while later it passed overhead, so I assume it made it there, if not, really close."

"Well at least it's something to go by."

Snow suddenly sat up straight as though the bird had struck him with its pointed beak. "Hey! Has anyone here noticed that I'm the only male here?"

Everyone laughed.

"You're surrounded by girls Snow!" Vanille cried out happily.

"Isn't that a good thing though?" Clara added cleverly.

Snow went red. "Well… uh-"

Saving the embarrassment, Lightning spoke up. "Well you'd better start hoping that the last _chosen _is a guy then."

They continued to laugh, but now she was silent. 'He could be my family,' she thought, suddenly feeling heavy inside. What would it mean for her? Would it hurt to see a remaining member? Maybe she would hate them, and what if she repeated her past?

What if she killed them?

Serial had been right. The plains came into view. Yellowed grass and trees with red and gold leaves sprouted from the ground, and some small farms with crops popping up lay near lakes and bigger masses of trees. A snake shaped cliff slithered alongside a tiny village and stretched on towards a waterfall that fell from a wall of rock, blocking their view of any further land.

"How do we get past that?" Snow asked."

"I don't know, I haven't been here, but I guess there would be a… door?"

The idea was laughable, but as they thought about it, being trapped in an open area like that was not a laughing matter.

"We will have to get through as fats as possible," Lightning decided out loud, glancing over her shoulder at the snow behind them, her eyes scanning for soldiers quickly.

As soon as their feet touched the ground, they found themselves on their backs, the abrupt end the of the flight confusing their joints. The bird seemed to laugh as it launched itself into the sky and sped off again, leaving deep gouges in the earth from its claws.

"First things first," Snow grumbled as he rolled onto his stomach to work himself to his feet. "Do you think we have time for a rest at one of the villages?"

Lightning did not want to take the risk, but she did not think they had the energy to make it to the door in time anyway.

"Yeah, we have time."

It took some time and strength in their legs to reach the village beside the Cliffside, but they made it in less than a painful hour. Lightning hurried them inside the nearest inn sternly, and then slammed the door behind them, gathering plenty of attention.

"Can I help you?" a man at the front desk asked with a confused look on his face.

"Yeah," Snow said as he limped over to him. "We need a room big enough for…" He paused to count. "Five."

The man sighed. "Sorry, but we only have four person rooms for the biggest size. The rest are all for two people."

"That will do fine," Lightning said as she snatched up one of the keys that were arranged in room size. "I can take the lounge."

The group passed down the hall, glancing at all of the shut doors, murmured voices coming from behind them, and by the sounds of things, this place was mainly for romantic couples.

The room was very large anyway, and styled with wooden antiques and patterns carved into the walls. Bright drapes hung from the walls, an odd touch, but colourful, and very matching to the beds and lounges. It was cosy to be summed up in a single word.

"Okay, we have one bedroom with two beds and a bathroom, then the second bedroom is over there, and it also has its own bathroom, only bigger." He smiled. "Therefore, I call that one."

Vanille bounded over to the opposite bedroom, followed by Clara who had taken quiet a shining to the second youngest member. "We call this one!"

Lightning sat down on the couch and laid her arms across the lip. "Well, I guess that leaves you with Snow, Serial," she said with a smile.

Serial, however, did not look pleased. In her eyes, her and the _bear _were still not on talking terms after the terrible morning. "I'll sleep on the floor."

Snow was not insulted. Shrugging, he disappeared excitedly into the room and shut the door behind him.

That night they dined on food from the market place located just outside of the Inn. Cheap meat plopped onto their plates in a bloody mess as they pulled the slabs out of the wrapping, and the bread felt like stone.

"Well this is not the sort of food I was hoping to be enjoying," Serial grumbled with a disgusted face. To the others she resembled a child behind asked to endure vegetables, but they had to agree that he meal did not look the slightest bit edible.

The service was brought from the reception room, and he offered them a well cooked meal of soups, dipping bread, roast, and even desert. Delighted at the better menu, money passed hands in seconds and they dug into a fine meal indeed.

Once the meal was finished Clara and Vanille showered and disappeared to bed, retiring for the night as the adults remained awake and spoke of the future they hopes to achieve.

"This thing that has the government possessed. It wants us dead now, doesn't it?" Snow asked as he lay back against the couch, already knowing the answer.

Lightning nodded. "That's why they're so powerful now, and Tias… He is one hell of a secret weapon to use against five people, two of which are barely more than children."

"They're desperate now," Serial said with a sigh. "They must suspect that we know of this plague that has them in its grasp."

The title 'plague' awakened a question in Lightning that she felt she should have asked before. "What exactly is this thing? You said you found out about it in the scriptures you found, but did they tell you what it was?"

"A monster, a beast… Some sort of creature, but perhaps they meant it as a sickness or something."

The night would be long, they knew, for the more they discussed their dangers, the more restless they became. Their minds were asking questions that only made them more animated, and Snow put his foot down first.

"That's enough for tonight. We need to get some rest for tomo-"

Screaming erupted from the bedroom on the right and Clara burst through the door.

"Vanille, she-" she gasped, struggling for words.

"What is it?" Lightning asked, right on her feet. "What happened to Vanille?"

Clara found her voice again. "She had a dream and… she attacked herself!"

Everyone spilled into the room to find Vanille lying on her back in the bed. The sheets were a tangled mess around her and her eyes were closed, her body still.

Immediately Lightning remembered her fall at the lake. She had saved her life then, had brought her back from the dead, but there was so much blood.

The wound in her stomach had been from the arrow that was in her hand, thick with blood. Her stomach seemed to be gaping open, but as they came closer they could see that she was breathing.

Immediately Lightning, Snow, and Serial leapt into action and it felt like a desperate hospital emergency scenario. All hands lifted the young girl up from the bed and they lowered her to the floor where they had more room and access to the wound.

Clara was in tears, whimpering from the corner. Serial heard her cries and led her from the room as Lightning got to work, wrapping a ripped piece of sheet around the middle of Vanille's body. She winced as she tightened it, a fresh flow of blood staining the white to a sudden red.

Snow was shaking. "Do you think she'll be okay?" he asked, adding, "Why would she do this?"

Lightning didn't reply to either. She lifted the girl by the arms, letting Snow gather her legs, and they led her out of the room and into the lounge where they hoped they would be able to find something to help her.

Serial had Clara in her arms as the girl wept. She seemed in agony as her face, twisted with torture, was flooded with tears.

The reaction was surprising to Lightning. "Clara, she isn't dead. Were going to do everything we can."

Serial smiled back at Lightning and shook her head grimly. "She is worried for Vanille, but it isn't that that has put her in this bad a state."

"Well what is it then?" Lightning snapped impatiently. "We have to go and get her help!"

"Her help," Serial said calmly, "Is right here." She pointed to herself.

"I don't understand," Lightning said quietly, knowing that something potentially upsetting was going to unfold. It always did now.

"We need to go outside," Serial said slowly, lifting herself from the couch with Clara's hand tight in her own.

The girl spoke in a strained voice. "Sister, please don't!"

Snow was getting worried now. "What's going on Serial?" he asked with a sense of threatening in his voice.

The woman looked apologetic for a moment, tears welling in her own eyes. "I am afraid that I have been keeping one more secret from you, but only because I feared you would dislike the truth of it."

"Serial," Lightning growled. "I have had it up to here with this secret crap!"

"I'm sorry, but I fear that this is Vanille's only chance."

_Authors Note: Sorry, another cliff hanger, but don't worry, the next chapter is already on its way!_


	22. Sacrifice

**Chapter Twenty One: Sacrifice**

No help was available in the Inn. After seeing the bloodied girl wrapped in sheets hanging limply in the giant form of Snow, they refused to even let them spend the night there, saying that they were trouble. Lightning had bit a hole in her tongue to stop herself from retorting, and they left in a rush.

Now they were in the fields outside, the moon shining down on them and creating an almost magical scene, but the feeling did not pass into the group as they gently laid Vanille on the yellowing grass. It fluttered around her in the wind as though it were embracing her, and she did not flinch at all.

Serial left Clara to herself for a moment and knelt by Vanille's side where she gently took her hand into her own, holding two fingers to her wrist.

"She is nearly at death."

Lightning clenched her fist. "What haven't you told us Serial? What is this plan of yours?"

Serial did not answer. She simply stayed with her gaze locked onto Vanille's, her mouth moving as though she were speaking in silence.

Sharp whimpers rose from Clara as she fell to her knees in the grass. The answer burst out of her. "A sacrifice!"

Now they could hear it. Serial was muttering softly under her breath, but the words made no sense. They seemed to be in a foreign language, but they were sharp edged and she almost spat them out with distaste.

"Sacrifice?" Snow asked, lowering himself to stare at Serial. "You're going to sacrifice yourself for Vanille? Is that it?"

Lightning did not know what to say. She wanted to yell at the woman with Snow, but Vanille's life depended on this idea. They had nothing to heal the wound, for her magic was not enough, and no potions could seal that much flesh and tissue together. She was slowly bleeding to death, her breathing becoming laboured as the muttering went on.

"You can't do this!" Clara cried out, running at Serial and throwing her arms around her.

The speech from Serial continued.

"You're my sister, and I love you!" Clara screamed in her ear as tears began to dry on her face.

Serial finally stopped and smiled a little. "I love you too."

The pair embraced. Their hands grasped at each others backs with strong passion from the loss they would face. Both faces were tear-stricken. Serial's body shook as she wept and Clara let it all out, sobbing and yelling at the same time.

Snow took his place by Lightning's side, his own eyes getting wet. "Should we let her do this?" he asked.

Lightning sighed and stared at the ground, finding the moment too dismal to stare at. "It seems to be the only way to save her."

"It is my choice." Serial had risen, her talk finished. They could see colour around her like an aura. It was bright red and swirled like a storm. She raised her hand sot stare at them, and tiny little marks began to appear, pearl white and glowing.

Clara clutched one of her hands and stared into the eyes that she had grown so used to seeing. "If you really must… sister."

The woman waisted no more time. She knelt again, checked for a pulse, then paled. Her hands reached to Vanille and rested upon her chest over her heart, and she closed her eyes. A tear fell from beneath, dripped to the ground, then she fell to the side and lay still.

It had happened fast, faster then Lightning had expected. She gasped and stepped towards Serial as Clara shook her desperately, ignoring what she had said before and begging her to wake.

"Lightning, come here."

Snow had forced his attention away from the fallen member and was tending to Vanille, but his face was pale, giving new meaning to his name.

Lightning dropped to the ground and pat him lightly on the back. "I know. I didn't really expect her to… die."

Snow shook his head. "I can't think about that right now. That wasn't my point," he said, struggling to speak. "It's Vanille. Her heart isn't beating."

Lightning felt her blood freeze. "Serial was too late?"

Snow wasn't listening. He bent over Vanille and pinched her nose, preparing to give her a breath that would hopefully return her to the world.

'How could this happen?' Lightning thought. The sound of Clara's anguish echoed in her mind as all other noises stopped. Serial's sacrifice had been noble and brave, but it had been for nothing. Now she had lost another friend, no… a sister. As she watched Snow's mouth come closer to Vanille's purplish lips she was struck with the memory of losing her at the lake. Surely this would be like that? She would come back… right?

Those green eyes, emerald and glassy, appeared in less than a crack beneath the lids and saw…

"Snow! What the hell are you doing?"

"Ahhhhh!" he screamed, throwing himself back at least a metre and staring at the girl whom had returned from death.

"Vanille!" For the first time in a while Lightning was genuinely smiling. She threw herself at Vanille, dragging her into a rough hug. "Vanille, it worked! You came back!"

"Snow tried to kiss me!" Vanille screamed in her ear, not even realising the kindness from her icy friend.

Snow tried desperately to defend himself. "I was trying to revive you! I didn't think that it had worked."

"It? What are you talking about?"

Now Vanille could see the body lying to the side, the still form of Serial with a smile on her face as she thought of her sister one last time.

In an instant, the young girl fainted.

When Vanille came to, everything was explained to her. She was touched and distraught, and for a long while she did not speak.

Clara had taken to silence, refusing to say at word at all. She sat upon a flat rock and simply stared at the group as they took it in turns speaking.

Serial had been buried beneath the earth, her weapons lying upon her in the soil, covered with a crafted gravestone that Snow had worked on all night.

It was morning now, and the sun was casting red light across the land. It seemed the world would continue, despite what it had taken.

"I can't believe that she's gone," Vanille said, finally trusting her voice. "She saved my life, but… why?"

Lightning shifted uncomfortably. "She was a wonderful person who did amazing things when the time came to act. We… no, I… I should have treated her better."

Vanille shook her head. "How were you to know what she was on this inside when she never showed it?"

"Please don't," Snow grumbled as he sat beside the silent Clara. "I can see an argument coming up."

Lightning agreed and did not speak of it again. In fact, Serial stayed out of the conversation, just to play it safe and give Clara time to think about something else.

"Vanille, tell me your dream," Lightning ordered a few moments later. "I wasn't to know why you had to stab yourself."

Vanille's voice was shaky and at some points barely understandable, but they understood the most part of it by the end. The dream had been about Lightning and Vanille, but it was eerily inaccurate. Vanille had taken the role of a driven killer and tried to take Lightning's life. As the weapon soared towards Lightning's hart, Vanille seemed to remember that she was a friend, so she turned the knife on herself instead of Lightning. She did not even know the knife was in fact the arrow in her hand in the real world.

Clara sobbed uncontrollably beside Snow. He placed a ahnd across her shoulders whilst staring at Vanille with a shocked face.

"But why?" he asked. "Why would you try to attack Lightning?"

Lightning defended the struck Vanille. "It wasn't her fault, Snow! It was a dream!"

"I know, I'm not having a go at her!" he replied heatedly, not realising that he was beginning to yell.

"If I could have dreamed about something else, I would have," vanille cried, tears rolling down her face.

"Enough!" Clara's voice burst in, brining order to the three. "I don't want this! I don't want any of it!"

They could not make much sense of what she was saying, but stopped the argument for her.

"Dammit!" Snow growled, banging his foot against the grass. "Everything is screwing up! How could this happen?"

Lightning lowered her head. "You're right, this is messed up and its hard to deal with… but we have to. The soldiers would be on their way now, and I say that we move. There is only pain here, and I doubt we will sleep now."

"Yeah, I guess your right," Snow agreed as he helped Clara to her feet gently.

They headed off towards the trees that spilled down the lowering hill with downcast emotions. Lightning was thinking so deeply about the tragedy that they had faced that she jumped when she felt a cold finger touch her elbow.

"Lightning, its me."

"Oh, Vanille… Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." Vanille was crying again, her tears dropping noiselessly to the grass. "It's my fault she died, isn't it?"

Lightning crouched to her knees in front of Vanille like a mother would do to a child. She lifted Vanille's face gently by the chin and smiled warmly at her. "Vanille, sometimes we do things that we can't help, and it is inevitable. There is a power in all of us, and it comes out in the most hostile ways." She clenched her fist as she remembered her family for a moment, but she shook the memory away. "You are a beautiful person with a heart more golden than anyone I have ever known, and I don't believe that you can control what happened back there, nor that you would want it to happen, and because of that, you are blameless."

The words got through and Vanille give a light nod. "But you know I would never hurt you as well, don't you?"

The thought of her trying almost made Lightning laugh, but she remembered the attacks she had taught the young girl and realised that she could bring down stronger people than herself. She grinned back at the girl, knowing full well that she would never turn against her.

"I know. I would never hurt you either."


	23. Forest Dwellers

**Chapter Twenty Two: Forest Dwellers**

_Authors Note: Okay, okay, I know it has been a while and I am really, really sorry. My best friend who was very important to me has ended our friendship. As you can imagine I have been devastated and I have had other stuff to deal with, but I have started to write a lot more recently so you will probably find these finishing chapters a lot better than the rest where I was starting to fall apart in my writing, and once I am finished I will edit this fanfic and clean it up so it is much better because that is what you readers deserve. Once again, I am really sorry, but Lonely Life is back on track!_

Light sparkled through the tree tops and pooled across the forest floor. The leaves were the brown-gold of autumn and glinted like they were edged in crystal. It left everyone feeling peaceful like the season, being in between the bite of cold and the burn of heat.

It had been a long journey to this point, and Lightning's head throbbed as she thought back on it. Everywhere they had been had been strikingly different, especially for her. She was so used to her normal home in cocoon and had become reliant on its uses, and now, in this 'wild' world, she found herself learning and changing with everyday.

But it was not always easy. She could still see the bloodstains on Vanille's shirt as she walked beside her, and she noticed the lost spring in her step. Her newest friend, Clara, barely spoke a word, her voice fleeing her yet again, only this time it seemed to be gone for good. Snow walked heavier than before, his shoulders set forward and his eyes no longer sparkling with wonder. Instead they were dulled and tired, drooping to the ground constantly. They had all lost something in themselves: Their light. One of them had even lost their lives, but Lightning's mind avoided that area as though it were a mine field. The pain was still too fresh to keep under control.

Their walking brought them to a stream that was coating in the browning leaves. They floated along the surface of the water like boats in the sea, and we were the storm, lifting great handfuls of the water to our mouths, drinking thirstily.

"This water tastes great," Snow pointed out as he reached in for his second handful.

Lightning smiled. He was trying to lighten the downcast mood of the group, and she tried to help out. "Maybe we should rest here for a while. It doesn't seem very dangerous."

We stretched out on the bed of leaves beneath us and found it as cushioned as a bed. Lightning was drifting off immediately, and in her drowsy flight from consciousness her hand rolled off of her stomach and fell into Vanille's open palm. She almost gasped at how cold her hand was, as though she were a zombie. She glanced at her and found that her entire face was pale a she stared towards the sky.

"Vanille? You alright?"

She rolled her head to the side weightlessly and gave a twitch of a smile. "I don't know, but… I feel safe because you're still here."

Lightning smiled back and left her hand in Vanille's, floating in the relief that she was still with her.

********

"Lightning, get up!"

It was an instant reaction that her hand grasped the hilt of her gun-blade before her eyes were even open. Fear and excitement was a heart thumping combination that left her without feeling the least bit tired. She felt as light as a feather as she leapt to my feet and swung her sword around at the sound of a footstep disturbing the leaves. Her blade gleamed as it straightened before her, and past the slither of metal she could see a mangled leg as it rushed past into the trees.

"Did you see it?" Snow asked from behind her in a strained voice.

She nodded and glanced quickly to see that the two girls were still fast asleep, curled up into balls and lying close to each other like peaceful friends. The sight was heart-warming, but Lightning's froze a long time ago. She kicked a pile of leaves into Vanille's face and as she woke Lightning nodded her head to Clara, indicating that she needed to be woken.

Snow inched towards me with his guns already loaded and pointing at head height. "I saw one before. They're… not human."

"Damn," she muttered. "I am getting a little sick of all this 'native creature' stuff."

Their enemy showed itself again, this time revealing its entire self to them. It was the rough shape of a human, only it was hunched over with too long arms and short stubby legs. Coats over coats that were pitch black hung over the creatures body and seemed to be belted against it with tightened leather. No skin was visible apart from its white face that peered up from a darkened hood. With a gleam in its slitted yellow eyes it gave an awkward bow, then stood straight and held out an arm to Lightning.

"Don't shake it!" Snow warned.

She rolled her eyes. "Really?" she said sarcastically. "I thought I had better show my manners and return the polite greeting, but if you say so…"

Vanille and Clara remained by each other's side, their hands clutching each others like they were frightened children. Vanille could fight well now with her bow since Lightning had taught her, but it seemed that taking care of Clara at that moment was a higher priority. It gave Lightning the spur of reason Lightning needed as she glanced at them briefly, and she stepped forward towards the cloaked creature, pushing its icy hand away.

"What exactly do you want?" she asked coldly, clenching the fist of the hand that had come into contact with the odd creature. It was prickling with cold and she tried to warm it up against her shirt as she rubbed it vigorously.

The creature seemed unable to answer. Instead, it stared down at her hand, and the hollowed mouth on it's face curved into a vial smile.

"Lightning, get back!" Snow barked. "I don't like this!"

"No kidding," she muttered as she pressed her numbing hand to her side. She took a few steps backward, still facing the smiling fiend when he struck her. With lightning speed his hand shot out, the bones shining a pale grey from beneath the torn clothes and extending to an impossibly length. She cried out as the freezing bones of the clawed hand gripped her around the arm. Smoke drifted up as she felt the burn of the freeze. Raising her sword she sliced into the boned arm and it shattered off at the elbow like ice.

There was no time to study her arm that now felt as though it were being pierced with needles, for more of the enemy had gathered. The now almost one armed attacker was screaming out in agony, but it was a different sort of scream. There was an animal savageness to it, sending waves of fear up the spine. Even Lightning flinched and gripped her gun-blade hilt tighter to the point where her knuckles were white.

The group tightened together instantly, each holding their weapon out at the ready. Clara had magic fizzling at her fingertips, perhaps the most powerful weapon of the lot, yet she looked like a frightened rabbit in the corner of its cage. Vanille reached back with her hand and pressed it into hers, giving her the strength she would need.

Growls emitted from the throats of the beasts as they surrounded them all in the trees like ghosts. They would stare with their lidless eyes and study as though trying to find out the weaknesses of everyone in the group.

"Don't give eye contact," Snow said quietly.

"What are you, some kind of tourist guide today?" Lightning snarled back.

Snow growled like their enemies. "Lightning, I am trying to get us through this alive!"

"Well you could start by realising that we aren't stupid and we can take care of ourselves!"

"Really? All of us?" He looked towards Clara who could barely stand from the trembling in her knees.

Lightning winced at the sight as though it brought her physical pain.

No more time would be spent waiting by the creatures. They started forward slowly, their feet dragging through the leaves instead of stepping. Their faces were blank, emotionless, and they seemed to grow longer as they became closer. Every limb was watched carefully by Lightning as she felt her arm stinging from the bizarre attack.

Their arms rose into the air and lashed out like whips, the air screeching as though it were being torn apart with the speed. They lashed at the group, but no contact was made. Clara unleashed her magical attack and a burst of light concealed the area and engulfed the enemies. They all began to cry out like the one from before and their feet could be heard shuffling through the leaves in the confusion, then there was a series of thumps and thwacks. A number of thuds then joined the sounds, making it all the more tense, then there was complete silence.

"Clara, lift the spell!" Lightning ordered a little less kinder than she had meant. The now terrified girl gasped and nodded, then rose her arms high. The light lifted into the air and began to disperse, revealing the scene that had unfolded beneath its cloaking blindness.

All of the creatures had been struck down with arrows and lay in the leaves, neither flinching of muttering a single scream. They had all been shot dead expertly. The arrows protruded from their vital areas: The neck, heart, and head.

Lightning took a step forward, but Snow pulled her back. "What are you thinking?"

She waved his arm away in frustration and continued forward towards the nearest of the bodies. She bent down and touched the arrow that had struck it in the side of the throat and found that it too was freezing to the touch like her hand. She took the chance to check on her arm and found that it was a pale white. She poked it and found that she could not feel anything in that area, but she was still not very bothered, naturally. She only began to panic when she realised that the white was turning grey, and it was stretching up her arm at a noticeable rate.

"Don't move."

Her head jolted as she heard a voice that was alien to her, but she found herself face to face with the shining point of an arrow as she raised her head. Behind the arrow was tall man with piercing blue eyes that looked sharper than the arrow. He wore a thick array of green travelling cloaks and belts pressed daggers tightly to his torso. A grey hood hung over his head and lay loosely around his shoulders, weighed down by round, golden plates og armour. Black hair poked out of the hood in a spiked mess, making him look more like an innocent youth, but he snarled at her like an animal. He seemed disgusted, and she was insulted enough to turn that arrow around and punch it into his forehead… but how would that be a formal introduction?

"Tell us who you are!" Snow demanded from behind me.

The man ignored him and kept his eyes glowering down at Lightning. They were filled with such hate that anyone would had thought she had stabbed his wife or child. She understood anger, but this seemed so deep and intense that she almost did not recognise the emotion being show at all.

"Talei, put it down."

Lightning was beginning to wonder how many people were hiding in those trees.

This time the stranger was nothing more than a boy. He was short with spied white hair, faded blue eyes, and neater clothes than the 'forest man' Talei, whom Lightning was not enjoying the company of.

Talei grumbled something under his breath, then he lowered his arrow slowly and sheathed it somewhere on his back. His eyes flashed with confusion as he turned to the boy. "Why do you stop me from killing these intruders?"

"Intruders?" Vanille echoed in confusion. "Sorry, we didn't know that there woods _only _belonged to you," she added sarcastically.

Talei looked like a wild beast as he turned to her. "How dare you speak to me like that!" he roared, his arms flailing in the air.

She approached him without fear and I felt pride bloom in my chest. She stood beside me and yelled at his face, "I don't really appreciate it when you point arrows at my friends!"

The boy stepped forward and took his place between them like a child breaking up a fight in school. "Please, control yourselves, both of you."

"I do not take orders your, young one," Talei growled to Vanille. "Only from Hope."

The boy nodded his head softly. "He is accompanying me through these trees as my protection."

"On his own?" I asked, glancing at all of the bodies. "How can one man do this?"

Talei shook his head and amusement crossed his face for a moment. He looked to the trees above him. "I am not alone, but you will not see my brothers and sisters. They are fast and agile through the trees. You will only hear them if you listen closely."

Hope sighed suddenly and looked a little pale as though he were sick. He swayed gently on the spot, then righted himself as concern showed in Talei's face. He changed the subject quickly, explaining himself further. "I am a prince form a fallen country. Only I remain, however, I seem to gather friends wherever I travel on my way to the Green Lake."

"Green Lake? Where's that?" Vanille asked. "I've never heard of such a place."

Clara answered his question before the pair of travellers could. "It is a pool of the water that Serial showed you to awaken our powers. After you contributed, it should be almost ready…"

"Ready for what?" Lightning asked, keeping a very close eye on Talei and his bow.

"Ready to open the gate to Cocoon," she answered calmly as though it was the easiest thing in the world to understand. At the sight of blank faces she sighed and filled them in further. "Our powers can take us to where they are needed for the sole purpose, but we are not ready yet, so neither is the lake."

"Hmm… I think I get that," Snow said slowly. "But, why exactly aren't we ready?"

Lightning knew this answer. "Were missing the last _chosen_, but Clara, when were you going to tell us all of this?"

She shrugged and her face went emotionless again as she thought of her sister. "I-I thought Serial had told you…"

Wanting to be gently, Lightning simply nodded without barking that the girl should have made sure. She stood up straight as things began to look bright for the first time in a while. "So were nearly done, huh?"

"Not quiet." Hope had a grin on his face that spelt doom. "There is a path past the gateway that you must walk to reach Cocoon. It isn't a free trip like you may be used to, Lightning."

I stared at him. "Why do I get the feeling that you know a lot more than you should?" I asked suspiciously.

He smiled. "I possess certain qualities that others don't seem to. They are quiet handy in situations like this… but I am surprised you have not realised whom the final _chosen _is."

The entire group's blood turned to ice. They all stared at him, gaping, as he revealed that he held the final piece to the puzzle.

"Well, who is it?" Snow demanded, taking a giant step forward. "It's you, isn't it!"

Hope laughed and shook his head. "How ironic Snow, because the last _Chosen… _is you."


End file.
